When Angels Fall
by Shibby-One
Summary: Suicide. The one hated word that kills. After his death, Jou’s soul can’t rest because an angel lets him see his friend’s in a way he never wanted to. [complete]
1. Prologue: Don't blink

hi. one of the reason's i got this idea was because "Concrete Angel" is currently stuck in my brain. So... That is where this came from. 

I decided to save this until _after_ I finished all my other fics. Yes. so... I'm most likely typing this loooooong before I post it. Then I thot, hey, im almost done with _I'm Still Dreaming, my BIGGEST fic, so…. Yea. This is juss goin up… dunno why^^_

_Suicide.__ The one hated word that kills. After his death, Jou's soul can't rest bcuz he senses his friend's pain, ignorance, disorganization, their solitude. An angel allows him to watch over them…. And he sees his friends in a way he never wanted to. Abuse, suicide, bullying, giving up._

**RATED FOR: LANGUAGE, ****SUICIDE****, ****AND.****... ABUSE. HOPEFULLY MY ONLY _R FIC._**

**DISCLAIMER: DON'T OWN YGO.**__

**_When Angel's Fall_**

**_Prologue: Don't Blink_**

****

_~Don't blink; you'll miss your chance....~_

Has someone ever told you, that if you blink, you might miss your chance? The second it takes to blink is all that's needed to steal a life away.

Down by the pier,_ lights flashed brightly, reflecting off the water and the rails and everything else with a metallic surface. Police were everywhere, trying to stop the growing crowd. _

"Come on, now, folks," one man said impatiently. "This is no place..." People pushed through to see, frustrated.

An officer was writing something down on a pad, looking up occasionally. A burly man was being arrested by three officers, one officer nearly as big as the man himself. He was obviously drunk, and ranting on about something. The three officers shoved him into the back of a truck, first to take to the hospital, then to jail where his trial would be held.

All that was left in the apartment was blood. Or so one officer thought.

As she was leaving, she turned and noticed something. Down the hall, where broken objects lined the bloody floor, fingertips could be seen. The man who had been in here was in a drunken rage, and he had beat upon someone. 

The neighbors called because they heard three gunshots fired, then a fourth.

The officer shivered as she remembered the way that the people had described the fighting. 

_~Once you miss it, it's gone.~_

A stern, angry, slightly slurred voice had been coming into the windows of the people in the apartment next-door.

"Where are you, you son of a bitch? You little fucking bastard, what did you do?" Stomping.

"I didn't _do_ anything!" A younger voice, just as stern and angry, yelled back. A loud, hard sound of flesh meeting flesh could be heard throughout the hall.

Jonouchi stumbled onto the floor, his cheek turning red, then purple. His drunk father was standing before him, swinging an empty bottle.

"You fucking filth," he said, kicking Jonouchi hard in the ribs. Jonouchi rolled over, clutching his chest. His breathing was fast and hard. His father stomped forward. Jonouchi managed to stumble onto his feet. He tripped over the broken pieces of various objects on the floor.

"I...." Jonouchi panted. "You... Bastard..." His father laughed menacingly.

"You're calling _me _bastard.... That's funny, boy!" He said, pulling a long dagger out of a drawer. Jonouchi gulped, trying to keep a hard face. His ribs ached and his forehead was bleeding from where he was cut with flying bottle pieces.

The man lunged at Jonouchi, who managed to take off down the hallway. He slipped on the wet floor, banging into the end of the hallway before turning on an axis and tearing into his father's room. He  locked the door, hearing his father stumble down the hallway.

"Where are you... You filthy son of a bitch.... Come on...." Jonouchi looked around the room. Aha! There it is! A glimmer of hope shined through.

He opened a normally locked drawer, to find it... empty.

"Shit!" Jonouchi yelled, and his father could hear him.

He busted down the door, a gun in his hands. It was a revolver; not a big one, but it could still kill... Jonouchi backed away as he saw the gun. The man smiled gleefully, stumbling as he made his way into the room, his fingers ready to pull the trigger. 

"Looking for this?" his father said, pulling the trigger. A blast hit the wall right beside Jonouchi's head. Jonouchi ran for it, too scared to do anything else. His father shot at him two more times, then he dropped the gun.

"Dammit," he muttered, trying to bend over. Jonouchi, with the little strength and ingenuity he had left, kicked him in the back, knocking him over. However....

Now he was even angrier.

"Bitch!" he yelled. Jonouchi did the only thing he could; he was half in the doorway, so the gun was in his reach. He grabbed it off the carpet, which was now stained even worse then before. Their entire apartment was now blood and broken pieces.

Jonouchi stood up, standing no longer in the doorway. He was in the room, standing close to his father. His father was about to lunge for the gun, when he heard it go off. He dove to the floor to escape it.

Except it wasn't aimed at him. He looked up, to see Jonouchi stagger backwards, a look of shock on his face. His chest spurted blood, the thick liquid flowing down his chest and stomach. He stumbled, then lost his footing, falling onto his side. The gun fell from his hands to the floor, crashing and making a loud, hollow sound.

Even though this man was abusing his son terribly, kicking him and hurting him, the boy was still his son, and he felt a tiny, unnoticeable twang of pain in his hollow heart. He blinked, then stood, looking over the body of his son.

Jonouchi was still breathing, and blood was still spurting from the hole in his chest. His lungs sounded as if they were heaving as hard as they could, his breaths short and gasping. The man could hear Jonouchi's loud breathing, and it was driving him mad.

That's when the door was busted down. But it didn't matter. They were too late.

_~No one is truly evil; we just have different ideas of what's good.~_

The boy was lying on his side, his arm outstretched towards the doorway. Blood trickled out of his mouth, and his body was mostly covered in blood. His eyes were half open, empty and lifeless, two deep, brown orbs with no light. The officer jumped a little at the sight, but then she knelt down next to Jonouchi's body. His skin was nearly white, and when she touched his hand, it was freezing. It felt waxy, almost plastic, for the blood had drained out of his hand. The lights from the police cars and the ambulance were shining through the windows.

The officer sighed.

"Aiji!" she called, poking her head out of the room. A male officer was taking pictures of the front room, where broken pieces of bottles littered the floor, and blood and who knows what else decorated the walls.

"Yes, Rietta?" he called back. Rietta closed her eyes and said in a painful voice

"This boy.... The victim... he's still here." Aiji nodded. 

"Umm, yeah. Uhhh... I'll go tell them to get a stretcher." Aiji dropped the camera, which was around his neck, and left the room, stepping over the pieces of the door that were on the floor.

Rietta looked mournfully down at the boy. She stroked his cheek gently. She's done that many times before, in cases where children or teenagers die. She crossed her arms and looked out the doorway, waiting for Aiji to come back.

"Here we go," Aiji said, pointing down the hall. Two men carrying a stretcher propped it up, and went over to where Rietta was kneeling.

"This him?" one asked. Rietta nodded sadly. As they took the body away, Rietta stood, brushing off her sleeve. 

_This is why I hate this job sometimes, _she thought to herself.

**_*_**

****

Jonouchi's eyes opened warily. Everything in his vision was blurry. A blurred mass of color.... Mostly green, brown and black. He blinked a couple of times, feeling the hard, stone ground behind his back.

Wait a minute....

He was sitting upright. He turned around slowly to see a vast statue behind him. It was very large and very tall; it was of an angel, bowed on her knees, praying to God. On the rusted, ancient plaque, it said the statue (given to the cemetery in 1967) was dedicated to all the people's who remains were buried here.

Jonouchi turned, slightly confused. He wasn't even in Domino; he was in Takajuri. He stood up, his vision clear now. He stared down the hill at the many plates in the ground, marking where ashes lie. Only the really old graves had actual bodies buried beneath the ground.

Jonouchi put his hands on his hips, looking around. He couldn't, for the life of him, figure out _why_ he was here.

"Why...." he said, his eyes traveling all over the darkened area. "Why am I here.... Oh my God..." His eyes had stopped on one area, way down the hill. A small group of people were standing around a new plaque in the ground, all staring down sullenly. Jonouchi turned to the gates of the cemetery, seeing a sea of color. Flowers poured over the gate and the fences, their petals falling to the ground. A new death. 

Jonouchi stood up, staring down at the bottom of a large, large hill. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Down at the bottom of the hill stood the group of people. A young girl was on her knees, her hair falling over her shoulders and partially covering her face. She seemed to be crying. Jonouchi stretched his neck, trying to figure out where he'd seen her before... His breath caught in his throat.

It was Shizuka. His little sister. She was kneeling on the ground, her black skirt flowing out around her knees, her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking.

_What the....._ He thought, moving forwards. He was standing at the top of the hill, staring down on them. He recognized Anzu, Yugi, Honda, Otogi.... He even saw Kaiba Mokuba standing down there. He cocked his head, slightly confused.

Oh.... Did I say 'slightly'? I meant extremely.

"What the hell is going on here?" he asked no one. He cupped his hands around his mouth and screamed at the top of his lungs.

"HEY! HEY, YOU GUYS! UP HERE! I'M UP HEEEEEERE!" They didn't pay attention. Jonouchi crossed his arms angry. 

"I never thought I'd be here...." a voice said behind him. Jonouchi spun around to see a long limousine behind him. It was out on the side of the road, right up against the wooden fence surrounding the cemetery.

Kaiba Seto was standing against the fence, leaning against it, the back door of the limo open. Jonouchi became angry. Kaiba seemed to have some type of smirk on his face....

"Hmpf," Jonouchi said. "No respect for the dead...." But Kaiba's face changed. It softened, and he leaned on one arm, then both elbows, staring down at the cemetery. He was staring right at Jonouchi. Jonouchi stiffened, ready with a snide remark for how he was staring at him. 

"Kaiba, you-" he started, but stopped when he noticed the look in his eyes. Sadness. Jonouchi walked over, growing even more confused them before.

"He~ey.... Calling Kaiba! Kaiba Seto! Hey, are you in there?" he waved his hand in front of Kaiba's face. No reaction. He didn't seem to be able to see Jonouchi. Jonouchi put his hand on his shoulder.

His hand went right through Kaiba's shoulder. Jonouchi jumped, scared. Kaiba's face changed. He looked around, rubbing his shoulder. He looked right at Jonouchi, then turned back.

"What the hell....." he said, then straightened up. "Mokuba was right. He doesn't.... He didn't...." He didn't finish his sentence.

"Holy shit!" Jonouchi cried, looking at his arms, his hands. He could see the trees in front of him _right through them._ Jonouchi turned to look at Kaiba, watching him shake his head.

"He didn't.... Deserve death. Not like this." Jonouchi shook his head as the truth sank into him. He jumped the fence and ran down the hill, leaving Kaiba at the top. He skidded and slid, bumping into trees and old headstones that lay on the hill's steep side. He slid in the mud, his feet passing right through the moist soil instead of splashing everything in sight. He stopped short when he hit the bottom of the hill, and ran to where his friends and his sister were standing. Or kneeling. 

He fell to his knees on the other side of the plaque, trying to get their attention.

"Minna-san! Hey, everyone!" he said, but they didn't react. Like Kaiba, they looked around a little, then turned to each other. Shizuka peered through her fingers, shivering a little. Jonouchi couldn't stand seeing her like this.

He leaned forward, and gasped, horrified, as he read the name on the plaque.

****

**_*Jonouchi Katsuya*_**__

_~Some things are not what they appear to be.~  
~It's the same with people.~_

_~Stultum est timere quod viater non potes.~ [1]_

Jonouchi stared down at the plaque, unable to tear his eyes away. His breathing quickened; his heart pounded. How could..... How could his name be embedded into a piece of stone like this? Set into the ground, his friends and family all around, tears silently hitting the ground. Another day went by with no notice to the death of one of the earth's citizens.

Because people die every single day. 

That's all.

Shizuka was kneeling in the soft ground, her body trembling, her tears slipping down her cheeks and staining her legs. Her grey blue eyes closed slowly and softly as she bowed her head, her shoulders heaving.

Yugi was next to her, staring down at the ground, a blank, far-away look to his eyes. Jonouchi had never seen eyes as lifeless and empty as his. He seemed beyond tears, although his face suggested otherwise. He could almost see the deep sadness within him, and Jonouchi wanted to punch himself for turning his best friend into such a lifeless vessel.

Honda was biting his lower lip, his eyes wide and scared, as if he couldn't believe he were actually here, now, staring down at the name in the cold soil, his shoulders shaking. He shook his head gently, so no one seemed to notice. But he was definitely in denial; not only with Jonouchi's death, but with his own life as well.

Anzu wasn't looking at the plaque; her head was turned away from it, her eyes squeezed shut, her face white, one of her gloved hands over her mouth. She was breathing hard, as if she had just run for her life. She crossed one of her arms over her stomach, squatting down onto the ground, tears that greatly resembled ice falling. She put her head in her arms, soft sobs protruding from her.

Otogi's reaction seemed to be similar to Yugi's; he just looked lifeless, only he was half-turned to the plaque, as if he weren't sure if he was supposed to stand there. He pocketed his hands, his eyes softening, life once again returning to his face. He just stood there, looking down at the plaque with what looked like.... Happiness. 

Kaiba Mokuba was also kneeling on the ground, also looking at it sideways. His hands were on his thighs, and he was curling them into tight fists, his arms shaking. He looked more made then sorrowful; he looked ready to fight someone.

Jonouchi couldn't believe it.

He didn't want to believe it. 

"No no no no no...." he whispered, backing up, falling over as he did so. He backed up far enough so he hit a tree, not that he felt it. He leaned against it, closing his tired eyes, hoping, wishing, that it was all a dream.... A fantasy....

"This is real life, Jonouchi-kun," a soft voice said from behind him. He opened his eyes and turned around.

Did that tree just... Talk?

"I'm right here," the voice said again, and Jonouchi stood up, walking around the thick oak. A teenage girl of maybe nineteen was standing with her back against the tree. Her long, mahogony hair was curled onto her shoulder. She was wearing a white school uniform, a long, frilled, white skirt reaching her ankles, a short shirt with a gold scarf tied around her shoulders. Jonouchi stared at the beauty in awe.

"Ohhh.... You... I....." he stammered, unable to force the words through his lips. The girl stood up straight, her eyes still closed. She turned to him, opening her eyes slowly. Jonouchi gasped at her enticing, transformative eyes.

They were a deep, deep brown, with flecks of gold and a red tint. They were big, and slightly curved around the edges, almost like Bakura Ryou's, only more feminine. She looked at him with a powerful gaze, making him intake breath sharply. He froze as she approached him, standing taller then himself. She pushed his hair out of his face, staring into his eyes.  Jonouchi was speechless.

"Jonouchi," she said in the same manner. "This is no dream. This is no fantasy. This is real; this is true." Jonouchi finally found his voice, and took a step back. 

"No... How-" the girl silenced him with her finger. In a whisper, she said 

"Your soul has awakened here. Finally. I've been waiting." Jonouchi stared at her in awe.

"What do you mean?" The girl waved his question away. 

"This happened a few days ago, Jonouchi," she explained, folding her arms across her stomach. "I've shown you this so you know about your friends' reactions to your death."

"You did?"

"Yes." She closed her eyes. The scene swirled around them both, making Jonouchi jump, surprised. His school uniform, which he was currently wearing, was rising up, as if a strong wind was blowing around them.

"What the-"

"You may call me Caro."

"Caro?"

"That is my nickname... In life." The whizzing colors started to slow down, slow enough for Jonouchi to see they were in a small, dark room. Jonouchi looked at his surroundings, feeling that they were strangely familiar to him. 

"Where..." He said slowly. Caro's eyes opened.

"In a place you know all too well," she said softly. She stared right at Jonouchi, making him turn slightly, temporarily stunned again.

"Why..."

"I want you to watch over your friends," she said, more commanding then asking. "They need you now. Their feelings, their lives, they are all out of order." Jonouchi took a breath, nodding slowly. Caro nodded to the wall behind Jonouchi. He turned slowly, to see a desk in a darkened room. It was against a wall, underneath a slanted ceiling, two big skylights in the ceiling. A stack of books were messily tossed onto the desk, along with a couple notebooks and a pen holder. But Jonouchi wasn't paying attention to the contents of the desk. 

He was more interested in the wall it was against.

What looked like ten, twenty, maybe evern thirty photos were tacked to the wall. Jonouchi's eyes were settled on one that featured himself.

It was him and Yugi, arm in arm, both laughing and pink-cheeked, dressed in their winter school uniforms, snow falling around them. They were both giving the 'V' for victory sign, their dueling decks in their gloved hands. Jonouchi leaned against the desk, staring at the photo, his eyes welling with tears.

"Oh my God..." he whispered. His lower lip was trembling. He reached out the touch the photo, but found he couldn't even feel it's glossy surface, which made him close his eyes as his tears fell.

"W-why are you showing me this?" He asked, his voice choked with tears.

"Because your friends need you," she said, and with that, she was gone. Jonouchi looked up, seeing the dark room around him. He looked over to where Yugi's bed would be, and saw him lying in it, on his stomach, his face half buried in his pillow. His cheeks were glistening in the light from outside. His cheeks were damp. Jonouchi wanted to reach out and touch him, maybe tap his shoulder or see how damp his cheek was.

But he couldn't. He just sat down in Yugi's desk chair, his head in his hand, staring at his friend. He watched as Yugi turned over onto his back, his arm above his head, his breathing slow. Jonouchi wished he could say something to his friend, but it wasn't possible. 

"Yugi-kun," he said softly. He leaned forward, so he could see his friend more clearly. His eyes widened in fear and hatred as he saw a mark on his friend's cheek.

It was a gash. A small one, but a gash all the same. It had been made that day, or the day before, an ugly blade splitting his skin, forcing him to bleed. Jonouchi fell to his knees, staring at him, wondering who could have done this to him.

"She was right," Jonouchi whispered, the sun peeking over the horizon. "They do need me."__

**_[]~[]~[]~[]~[]_**__

**_~*Footnotes*~_**

**[1] _Stultum est timere quod viater non potes: _**Latin phrase said by Publilius Syrus. Translates to: "It is foolish to fear that which you cannot avoid." (i take latin^_^)

**_~*that was all the footnotes i had....*~_**

so... how was that beginning chappy? long? yea, I know.... it was the prolouge... so...should i continue? or completely ditch the story bcuz it's stupid? i dunno.... ack.... erm.... well...

yall decide. i might juss continue with it randomly...^_^

Shibby-One^_^__

_Joey stomped his foot.   
"This is the last time I take directions from Kaiba!"  
"Umm, that wasn't Kaiba, Joey."  
"I'm right here." Joey turned in his seat, seeing that he was truly there.  
Hey! How long have you been on this trip?  
"Since chapter one, Joey. It's now chapter 15."_~Joey, Yugi and Kaiba from **Are We There Yet?** by **betta_n_u14xxx**__


	2. Chapter One: Kame Game Shop

Hello again…. Yech, Hilary Duff… *turns down radio* Wow! Eight reviews! *starry eyed* its weird… the meaner my fics get the more people read them… very strange…. Newayz im not complaining! Sorry it took so long… im wrapped up with FINALLY finishing of _I'm Still Dreaming… So…. I tend to drag things on and on and on…_

Yugi: yea. Ya do.  
Shibby: I take yall know yugi… he, yami, Jou, Tristan, Tea and Mandy (OC) always comment on mah fics… usually yugi/yami/jou since im ALWAYS torturing them….  
Yami: *pout*  
Shibby: grow up. Ur a man.  
Yami: *sigh* not you too! (an – don't ask, joke from _ISD_)

Poor, poor Joey. Well, I LUUUUUUV torture! ON WITH THE TORTURE!!!!!!!!

**BTW… this is good to read if your listening to "Concrete Angel" or "Hold On"… newayz…**

****

**_Chapter One: Kame Game Shop_**

****

            Jonouchi stared in awe and terror at the sight before him. Yugi curled up in a secluded little ball, making small, sniffling sounds. His breaths were deep, but he sounded congested, like he had been crying….

            "Caro, what-" Jonouchi started, but the fair-haired beauty had disappeared. He had already forgotten her departure. Jonouchi was left with his sad friend, and looked down at him. He silently wished he could do something… Anything…

            "Ano… Yugi?" Jounouchi said softly. "Can you hear me?" Yugi paid no mind to Jonouchi. Jonouchi bit his lower lip, trying to get his attention. He was scared; Jonouchi could feel the fear echoing in his heart…. His fear… His pain… Did Yugi do this to himself? Did he slit his cheek? Would he _do_ something so foolish as to-

            Jonouchi blinked as he realized something. _He_ had done that. _He had gone so far as to end his life, hoping his pain would end as well…_

            "What a bitch I am…." He said to himself. "Leaving everyone here…. I could have taken him on…." He stared out at the darkness of the room, the yellowed light of a streetlight flooding through the skylights into Yugi's room. Jonouchi turned to the wall the desk was against, and leaned forwards, looking at the photos tacked to the wall. Many of them featured himself, Yugi, and their friends. Jonouchi looked at each one, gently tracing the faces and outlines of his friends, now shadows of his past he was to haunt forever….

_            Wait…._ Jonouchi thought. _Am I haunting them? Or am I just watching them? Can they sense me? He stood and walked to Yugi's bedside, crouching down next to him. He shook his shoulder lightly. The sun was coming up, and soon, Yugi would have to go to school... Unless it was Sunday..._

            His attempts were in vain. Yugi couldn't feel his hands on his shoulders. Jonouchi frowned, angry.

            "Damn it," he whispered. "Damn it all to _hell..._" He sat on the edge of the bed.

            "Yugi... Why would you do this to yourself? Why would anyone want you to get hurt? Please...." Jonouchi covered his face in his hands, something he would never do in public....

            "Ju... Jonouchi..." Yugi whispered, clutching his comforter. Jonouchi looked his way, and watched him turn onto his back. Tears silently slipped down his face. He took a deep, shuddering breath, and his face changed from peaceful to terrified.

            "Jonouchi-kun...." He moaned, shivering. Jonouchi just stared down at him. He wanted so much to shake him awake, ask him what was wrong... He was dreaming.... He looked like he was in so much pain.... He turned slightly onto his other side, so he was now facing the wall. He shivered again and pulled himself tighter, his tears faster.

            "Jonouchi, Please..." he said, a little louder this time. "Help me..." Jonouchi reached out, but his hand passed right through Yugi's living body. Jonouchi pulled his hand back, and just stared at Yugi. He decided he had to do _something..._ Even if it was only making him feel better...

            "Yugi-kun, I'm here," he said. "What is it? What's wrong?" Yugi's face changed, and a surprised look came over his face. Jonouchi's eyes widened in surprise.

            _Shit... Could he hear me?_ Jonouchi thought, standing up.

            "Jou..." Yugi whispered. "Help me....."

            "I'm here, buddy," Jonouchi said. "Tell me, what's wrong...."

            "Honda-kun," Yugi said, louder this time. "Jou, help! Help me! He's coming... H-help... HELP!" Yugi's eyes opened instantly, scaring the hell outta Jonouchi. Jonouchi jumped backwards, temporarily forgetting that Yugi couldn't see him. Yugi was shaking terribly hard, his face white, tears mingling with sweat on his face. Jonouchi could see a reflection of the rising sun bouncing off his cheeks, they were so wet....

            Loud, raucous footsteps sounded in the hallway, and the door burst open. Mutou Rachel was standing in the doorway, wearing a nightdress with a cloak thrown over it. She saw her son, sitting in his bed, whimpering and sweating.

            "Oh, Yugi," she said, running over. She sat down and put her arms around him, and he leaned on her, his breathing loud and heavy. Small sobs emitted from him.

            "Shh, shh, it's alright, Yugi-chan," Rachel murmured. "Shhh, please, don't cry..." Yugi sat back, wiping his tears away. Jonouchi was just standing in the room, waiting to hear what he had been dreaming about.

            "Mom... It was h-horrible...." he said, shaking still. "I dreamt that.... That I was in danger, and no one was there... I c-could see... Jonouchi... h-he was trying to save me, but he couldn't.. He was trapped in a glass b-box... Th-they were... s-stra..." he couldn't get the word out. He began to cry again, pulling his knees up to his face, burying his tears in the softness of a down comforter. Jonouchi just stared.

            "I know what you're danger was, Yugi," he said softly. "It was your friends... Wasn't it..." Yugi looked up for a moment, looking around the room, surprised.

            "There it is again..." he muttered. 

            "There's what, sweetie?" Rachel asked, watching his every move. Yugi's eyes darted around the room.

            "That.... Feeling...."

            "Feeling?"

            "While I was dreaming, I heard... Jou-kun.... I heard him calling... And I think I just heard him again... Not really hearing, but I _felt him...."_

            "Oh, Yugi..." Rachel said, shaking her head. She put her hand on Yugi's shoulder.

            "Yugi," she said softly. "I know this feeling. You feel like everywhere you go, you can feel Jonouchi... I had the same feeling after your father died, Yugi..." Yugi shook his head.

            "No, I.... It was real..." Rachel sighed, standing up.

            "Go back to sleep, tenshima, [1]" she said, smiling at Yugi's eye roll.

            "Mo~om... Why do you still call me that?" Rachel smiled, and closed the door to her son's room. Yugi sat there, fiddling with his hands, apparently deep in thought. Jonouchi wasn't quite sure what he should do; should he say something else? Or keep his mouth shut?

            Jonouchi sat down in Yugi's desk chair. He stared out the window, the sun nearly all the way in the sky now.

            "Just another hour or so...." Jonouchi whispered. 

            "Then it'll be time for school," Yugi finished. Jonouchi stared at him. Yugi was kneeling on his bed, twisting his sheets into an unshapeable mass, staring out the window as well. He stood, stretching a little, and walked to his desk, leaning against it. Jonouchi instantly jumped up, then suddenly remembering that he was a ghost of some sorts. Yugi sat down and leaned forwards, staring intently at the photo's tacked to his wall. He reached out, and touched one, the one Jonouchi had scrutinized.

            "Jou-kun...." Yugi whispered, tears welling in his eyes. Jonouchi leaned close to his friend, listening intently.

            "....save me..."

_~Death is nothing to us, since when we are, death has not come, and when death has come, we are not. [2]~_

            Jonouchi didn't really want to follow Yugi to school. He was more interested in the activities of his mother, who didn't seem to give much of a damn about her only son. After he left, she took of her suit jacket, and began chatting on the phone with some.... guy. And Jonouchi had the feeling that Yugi didn't know about him.

            "...Yeah, he's great," Rachel was saying. "Such a pain in the ass though, teenagers, especially one as sad and as pathetic as him.... Yeah, his father was like that too at his age.... Then, of course, he changed... God I loved that man..." Jonouchi was satisfied to hear she at least loved _someone_ in the Mutou family, besides herself. 

            Mutou Sugoroku had passed away a little over a year ago, and, from the looks of it, it seems like the only person in the entire shop who seemed to care about Yugi was the old man. Rachel crossed her legs and twirled the phone cord. Jonouchi sat there and wondered why they had such an old phone... He stared at her, as hard and as maliciously as he could, trying to make her feel... uncomfortable.... Scared, even....

            "Yeah... Hold on a sec, will ya?" She covered the mouth piece and looked around suspiciously. 

            "I know you're watching me.... Whoever the hell you are...." she said in a somewhat scared tone. She had been talking to this guy for over an hour now, and Jonouchi was getting fed up.

            "Umm, Jon? I have to go to work..." She hung up right after that, standing up. Jonouchi got the feeling people could sense him, so he glared at her until she left, leaving the Kame Game Shop empty and lifeless.

_*_

            _Sob, sob, sob..._

_            Drip, drip drip..._

            Yugi was standing at the kitchen sink, gently dabbing his shoulder with a damp cloth, tears streaming down his face. Jonouchi noticed that Yugi had been doing a lot of crying lately... To add to the gash on his cheek, he now had a nasty scrape on his shoulder, one that looked like it had bled a lot. His shirt shoulder was stained dark red, and dry blood lines decorated his shoulder and arm like a strange, exotic tattoo or henna. He turned off the running water and sat down at the table, gently dabbing the open wound. Jonouchi was almost sick by just looking at it…

            "Ow, ow…." Yugi muttered. He put the damp cloth down and pulled his knees up to his chest, staring at the floor.

            "Yugi…" Jonouchi said softly, sitting down next to him. Yugi closed his eyes and leaned back, to reveal a large bruise on his lower neck…

            _Oh God,_ Jonouchi thought. _What's happening to him?_ Jonouchi was dumbstruck, at a loss for who would want to hurt him… Yugi opened his eyes again, and began…. Talking to himself.

            "I don't know why he's doing this…." He said to no one, subconsciously grabbing the chain that hung around his neck. Although the Pharaoh was long gone, he still wore the Puzzle because it gave him comfort, something that linked them all back two years… Yugi's eyes filled with more tears.

            "H-he d-didn't mean it… I swear to God he'll stop…" He curled up smaller. "Please make him stop…" Jonouchi was sitting closer to Yugi, waiting for Yugi to blurt out who the bitch was who was hurting him…. Yugi stood up, dumping the cloth in the sink, then grabbing his bag and heading to his room. Jonouchi sat there, still waiting, trying to grasp onto Yugi and yell at him "WHAT'S WRONG YUUUUGIIIII!!!!" Yugi paid him no mind, just sitting down in the living room and dumping his bag on the floor next to him.

            "She's not here… She never is…." Yugi said, lying down on his back on the floor. He closed his eyes. Jonouchi's heart sank as he watched him.

            He knew.

            He knew everything. He knew that his mother was showing him false love, that she could really care less for her only son, the only tie to her past….

            _Maybe that's why she hates me,_ Yugi would think. _I'm the product – the reminder – of a relationship that wouldn't have worked anyway…. Even though his parents were still married when Mutou Jonah died sixteen years ago, he knew that his father's constant traveling, and the way he made promises, but never intended to keep them when he did…_

            Jounouchi stared at his friend. Yugi lay there, breathing deeply, his mind wandering. Yugi wondered if he would end up like those Egyptian twins he learned about in History, thousands of years ago…

            "Maybe I could live with Togos and Tages, [3]" he joked. He rolled onto his side, slowly dozing off. "I could worship that cow god with them…. Get money…" His breathing deepened and he fell into another world, full of exciting dreams, endless possibilities, and friends and family who loved him.

            Jonouchi sat down next to Yugi, and put his hand on his tiny shoulder.

            "Yugi," he whispered. "Tell me who hurt you…. Please don't tell me…" He closed his eyes and sighed.

            "….don't tell me it was you…"

**_*_**

            Mutou Rachel slammed the kitchen door late that night, dropping her keys on the table.

            "Yugi!" she called. She got no answer. She sighed and opened a can of soda.

            "Maybe he's gone and killed himself," she said with some amusement. "Heh, that would be a laugh…" she drank from the can heavily, then tossed it aside. She saw the bloody cloth in the sink, still wet from that afternoon, and she faltered.

            _He didn't…._ she thought, fear rising in her chest. Even if she didn't really, well… Care for him that much, she didn't expect such a timid boy to go hurting himself like that…

            "Yugi?" she called, a little more fear to her voice. Yugi was still asleep in the living room, and he woke up, groggy from his rude awakening.

            Jonouchi was busily swearing under his breath, half at the ungrateful mother in the kitchen, the other half at his supposed 'friend'…

            It was Honda.

All him. 

Using some kind of dream-psyche, he was able to get the truth out of Yugi. _Honda_ was beating him up; _Honda_ shoved him into the pavement that morning; It was _Honda Yugi was trying to protect._

            For some unexplainable reason, Honda was hurting Yugi… and hurting him badly. Not only that, but his so-called mother seemed to hate him so much… Rachel sighed as she saw him. 

            "Did you finish your homework?" she asked, kicking a drawer shut in a table. She knelt down and locked it tightly, shoving the key back into her pocket. Yugi looked up at her, then stood up. 

            "Yea, yea…." He said, even though this wasn't true. Jonouchi couldn't believe it.

            _Are their lives really this terrible without me?_ He thought.

            _No_, came the all-too-familiar voice of Caro, the beautiful angel who had greeted him. _Their lives were like this before. Now, with a loss of one of their friends, their idles, they are just letting their lives slip away…_

            "No!" Jonouchi yelled, but no one could hear. Yugi flopped down on the couch, massaging his shoulder. Rachel retreated to the kitchen. Jonouchi couldn't believe what he was witnessing.

_            This whole time…_ he thought. _Caro__, why am I here? Why am I watching this….  
            Because, she said. _Someone needs to know.__

            _But there's nothing I can do!!_

_            Not now…. Just trust me, Jonouchi… Your presence will help greatly to improve them…._

            But she was wrong.

            _So wrong._

            Yugi retreated to his room, and threw himself onto his bed, tears flowing freely. He screamed into his pillow, fed up with everything. His shoulders shuddered heavily, and Jonouchi watched, broken-hearted, knowing that if one of his friends was like this, then the others were bound to be just as bad…

            "I just…. Want to die…" Yugi whispered. Jonouchi gasped and looked up, a look of horror on his face.

            "No! Yugi!" he cried. "Don't please! Don't die! You can't! You can pull out of this! I _know it!" But it was useless. Yugi closed his eyes._

            "At least then… I would be with Jonouchi…"

            "NO YOU WOULDN'T!" Jonouchi screamed. "Yugi-kun, I'm right here! Please, here me! Tell me what's wrong! SUICIDE IS _NOT_ THE GOOD WAY OUT! IT'S PAINFUL AND IT HURTS EVERYONE!"

            But the suicide way out looked pretty good to Yugi right then, as he fell asleep in his bed, his tears staining his pillow.

**_[]~[]~[]~[]~[]_**

*~Footnotes*~

**[1] tenshima:** "pure angel"

**[2] quote:** said by Epicurus

**[3] ****Togos**** and Tages:** Egyptian twins who's father was killed by their mother, and their mother fell in love with a greek guy. She kicked them out of the house after the attempt to kill them failed, and they became worshippers of a dead bull guy. They got money and stuff for it… this was thousands of years ago, way back in the Greco-Roman period of Ancient Egypt….

*~End footnotes*~

**Reviewz****:**

**ArrowSphere****:** well uhh…. I dunno, actually^^ I just typed it like that….otogi was happy that his friend wasn't suffering anymore.  
**Una1:** whoa… ur reviewing my fic? And you like it? *is honored* whoa… like I said above, otogi is happy for his friend, that he isn't suffering at the hands of that SOB anymore….  
**YumeTakato****:** ALMOST cried. ALMOST!! ^_^  
**Angels, Demons and Plushies:** well….glad ya liked it^^ and I hate him too… when I first saw him in the manga I was like YOU B****!!!!  
**Rekkaboziegirl****:** ok ok here's the update!  
**Brodie**** and Casey:** AHHH! TOO MANY PLEASES!!! *dies* **Yugi: 0.0;;;** Shibby: newayz….  
**totalyfab****:** okay. I continued.  
**Anonymous:** dude, you need a name…hmm, well, thankies!

_~* Next Chap *~_

_Jonouchi is sent to honda's place to find out WHY he's hurting yugi! And… whats going on with his friends lately… they all seem… so… dead… well, anzu, Honda, yugi, Shizuka,… even mokuba… something's really wrong here…_

_~**~_

Bye~

**Shibby****-One**


	3. Chapter Two: The One on the Outside

**Note: I re-uploaded this chap. Nuttin too special, I juss cleared some stuff up I didn't get clear. I don't clear this stuff up in the next chap, soo…. Toodle~oo.**

Whoa... i cant believe it... i ACTUALLY finished _I'm Still Dreaming..._ actually in that fic peoples die, too, sooooo...^^ im so happy... newayz...

on with MORE torture!

Joey: *groan*....  
Yugi: hey, she tortured me & yami in IMD, now it's YOUR turn  
Ryou: yea, and me an samayo (OC) in DF  
Yami: and.... well she hasnt tortured ME yet, but i KNOW she's gonna in OBO.. HA! OBOE! I KNOW SOMEONE WHO PLAYS THE _OBOE!  
Everyone: 0.0;;;  
Yami: ^_^;;; Im done_

**_Chapter Two: The One on the Outside_**

****

            Jonouchi had a mixture of emotions deep inside him, and he_ needed_ to talk to Honda.

            Now.

            He couldn't figure out how to get to Honda's, though, since he thought he was stuck with Yugi the whole time. Now... He knew he couldn't. He _had_ to go to Honda; maybe to beat some sense into him. He waited until both Yugi and Rachel were asleep, then set out to figuring out _how_ he would go Honda Hiroto's. That was before he remembered Caro.

            "Damn...." Jonouchi whispered to himself, swinging his legs absentmindedly. He was sitting on Yugi's desk chair, watching him for more nightmares. The boy seemed to be sleeping peacefully for a change, but he didn't look happy. His face was angry almost, and he gripped his sheets a couple of times, holding them in a gridlock that Jonouchi might have used on some thug at one time or another. 

            "Oh, Yugi," Jonouchi sighed, "What's going on here? Has this really been going on the entire time?" He leaned back, thinking to himself. "I wonder... What else has happened..."

            "You want to know?" that same soft, fragile voice came to his ears. He turned around, seeing Caro's form standing there, still looking angelic. She smiled for the first time, her eyes lighting up, making them look bright amongst her pale cheeks.

            "Yes!" Jonouchi cried. "I want to know what else has been happening when no one notices..." Caro closed her eyes and nodded slowly. They opened again, two deep, lipid pools of clear color, shining like bright, blue stars. Gold and tan were mingled in her irises along with the sky blue color, making them glint. Jonouchi was temporarily stunned at her beauty. A small thought popped into his head...

            _I know I've seen her before..._ With that same angelic glow, he knew he'd seen her before _somewhere..._

            Caro looked at him, her expression changing.

            "Well, Jonouchi," she said, her arms at her sides, "If you really want to know why your friends are beating upon Yugi..."

            "Yes!" Jonouchi yelled again. "I want to know why they're all so.... different!" Caro looked away from him, almost in shame.

            "You want to see what happens behind closed doors and sound barriers, don't you?" she asked after a time. Jonouchi stopped. Did he really want to see what they were going through? Well.... It couldn't hurt. And besides, it's not like he could tell anyone...

            Right?

            Caro stepped up to him, and said softly, 

            "Picture Honda's room in your mind's eye." Her voice was soft, melodic almost, and pleasing. Jonouchi wondered how a beauty like herself died. _Maybe she was like my friends,_ he thought suddenly. _Maybe she was fine on the outside, but inside her own home... Maybe something terrible happened to her... Then he remembered; she could read his thoughts. If she could... She didn't comment on them. She had disappeared._

            Jonouchi took one last look at Yugi, then closed his eyes, picturing, in his mind, Honda's large bedroom, the third floor of a wide apartment complex. He suddenly felt a whirling sensation in his stomach, and felt his clothes lift and his hair blow, encircling him. He felt as if he was pitched forward suddenly, falling into the darkness. 

            _Whoa,_ he thought. _Maybe I just should have walked!_

The tumbling vortex he was caught in suddenly let up, and he fell out of it, onto the floor. He looked up and around, and recognized the posters and the furnishings and the entire room, as Honda's. Honda himself was sitting on his bed, leaning against the wall, with Blankey's head in his lap. She was making little noises, often what she made around Jonouchi or Yugi. She tilted her head and opened her eyes, then lifted her head in Jonouchi's direction. Honda, who was petting her unconsciously, looked at her, concerned.

            "Blankey?" Blankey began sniffing the air.

            _Oh, shikuso,_ Jonouchi thought. _Dogs can see ghosts. I forgot. But was he really a ghost?_

            Or did he just... exist? Honda shrugged and crossed his arms, staring out the dark window. Jonouchi stood up, brushing off his pants, just so he didn't have to look at Blankey or Honda. He looked up finally though, and walked towards the bed. Blankey backed away, putting her head on the bed next to Honda. He stroked her head gently.

            "Wow," Honda said suddenly. "If Jonouchi were here, he'd be _killing me right about now."_

            _No doubt about that,_ Jonouchi thought, cracking his knuckles, as if to hit him. But he knew he couldn't; he was transparent, to some extent. Blankey made little whimpering noises, but Honda didn't notice.

            "God, he would get so mad at me..." He looked down at Blankey. "Of course, I'd get to myself before he would." Jonouchi stopped for a moment, staring straight at Honda. Honda averted Jonouchi's eyes, as if he could see him. Jonouchi lowered his fists and sighed. 

            "Oh, Honda," he muttered. "What are you doing to yourself?" Honda stroked Blankey's dark fur, listening to her little growls.

            "I know, Blankey," he said, a bit of a laugh to his voice. "I _am being a bitch." Jonouchi rolled his eyes. "I don't know why I keep beating Yugi... I'm just mad, I guess." He looked up at the ceiling, his hands in his lap, his legs crossed. His forest green eyes traveled to a poster on the wall of the Japanese Air Force. Two fighter planes were zooming around in the clear sky, two trills of different colored smoke trailing after them. Japanese kanji decorated the edges, advertising the great skills of the fighter pilots. Jonouchi followed Honda's gaze to the glossy poster. He remembered seeing that poster and asking Honda about it. _

            After a few minutes, Jonouchi became annoyed, and turned back to Honda. Honda was still gazing at the poster. Jonouchi was about to say something, maybe to get Honda to 'feel' his question, when he noticed the look on his face.

            He wasn't staring at the poster. He was staring past it to something Jonouchi couldn't see, to something _no one could see. He sighed, his hand lying palm-down on Blankey's long, arched back. Her head was settled on his thigh, her eyes closed. Her short tail was wagging excessively. Honda seemed to be lost in his thoughts._

            "Honda," Jonouchi started. "Why are you beating Yugi? I'm sure there's another reason..." His question trailed off into the distance, as if the wind had taken it and tossed it aside to the large Pacific Ocean on the banks of Domino. Honda's eyes bugged, and his head spun around so fast, he had to hold his hand against his head for a moment to get oriented again. Blankey's ears perked and her head lifted, her paws extending her claws onto the edge of Honda's jacket. Jonouchi didn't react. He knew Honda had 'heard' his question just fine.

            Honda bit his lower lip, petting Blankey's head to calm her.

            "Is, is someone there?" he asked hesitantly, looking around. Jonouchi nodded, although Honda couldn't see him. Honda stopped his wandering eyes, and looked down at Blankey.

            "You felt it too, huh, girl?" he asked. Blankey didn't respond. Honda smiled. "I bet Jonouchi's watching me right now, threatening to kill me. I wouldn't be surprised." Blankey gave a small bark, as if asking why. "Well, because I keep beating up Yugi for no real reason... I mean, I just get so angry, I have to hit something, so I whack the first thing I see -- Yugi." He closed his eyes and leaned against his wall. "Now Anzu hates me, and Yugi's scared of me. Otogi thinks I'm a bitch, and I haven't seen Shizuka since the funeral. Ryou is in a treatment center in Tokyo, and Mai is in America." He let out a moan that sounded more annoyed then saddened. "I miss Jonouchi. He would know what to do." Blankey lifted her head a little, giving a little yipping sound.

            Jonouchi stood and watched, trying to suppress his rising anger.

            _Honda...._

Honda scratched behind her ears. 

            "It's not like I'm _trying to hurt Yugi.... I'm trying to let my anger out, and I'm taking it out on Yugi. I just... Don't know how to suppress all my feelings is all. I don't want to hurt Yugi, especially with the way he's been acting lately. I'm worried." Jonouchi stood there, dropping his arms to his sides._

            _Wow,_ he thought. _I never knew Honda was capable of releasing so many feelings....._ Of course, he was telling a _dog, but still.... He didn't seem that type or person. Jonouchi was impressed._

            His thoughts drifted to Ryou and Mai. He hadn't seen either of them for so long.... Ryou was in a treatment center in Tokyo for his breathing problems. He's been there for weeks...

            Mai has been in America for almost a year now. She was supposed to visit a few months ago, but, for some reason, she never came. Jonouchi never _did_ figure out why.

            "This is pointless," Jonouchi muttered to himself. "Even if Honda tells me what his problems are, and I see how Yugi's mother is treating him, it won't make any difference."

            _Oh?_ Caro's voice entered his mind. Suddenly, Honda's room dissolved around him, making his head spin. Jonouchi looked around frantically for any sign of Caro, but her voice seemed to be the only body she possessed.

            "Jonouchi, just having someone know can make the difference."

            "But I can't _tell anyone! How am I supposed to rest now, having all this loaded in my mind?" Caro suddenly appeared before Jonouchi, her hand on her chin, her pretty face confused. Jonouchi jumped, startled at her sudden appearance._

            "How are you supposed to rest..." she repeated slowly, as if it were a riddle. She closed her eyes and shrugged, her hands out by her sides. Jonouchi stared at her with a look of horror on his face.

            "You mean," he started slowly, "I'll _n_ever_ be able to go to heaven?? __Ever?"_

            "I haven't," Caro said softly, a hint of tears wavering on her voice. Her eyes closed as tears danced on her eyelashes. "I have been watching my brother for three years now, Jonouchi. Until he either gets better, or his life ends, I'm doomed to the same fate as you, my friend."

_Life is just a mirror, and what you see out there, you must first see inside of you.~ Wally 'Famous' Amos_

            Honda's lanky figure was lying down on his bed next to his dog when Jonouchi returned to the world of color and sound. Caro had mysteriously dispersed, her form splitting into thousands of pieces, all zooming upwards toward the heavens. The room was dark, only the yellowed light of streetlamps sidling into the room through the window. Honda's chest was rising and falling slowly, his breaths nearly in sync with Blankey. Blankey opened her eyes when Jonouchi returned to the room, and she got up, jumped off the bed, and left the room by pawing at the door. It was open a crack, and it opened some more, a chunk of light from the hall falling into it. Honda was lying on his side, his arm in front of his face, his head opposite end of the bed from his pillow.

            Soft voices came from the hallway as his sister approached the room. She peered inside, then pulled the door shut, the room dark once more.

            Jonouchi sat on the edge of the bed, now used to the fact he was transparent, and watched Honda as if he were dying.

            Honda had always been the one on the edge, the one who never had an active part to play in this whole mess. He didn't own a Sennen Item, he didn't have very good dueling skills, he wasn't anyone's reincarnation. He was of no use whatsoever.

            But he _was always there. He was always there when you needed him, he knew __some useful skills, like how to convince someone that there is still hope. He can, as said by Jonouchi, "shed light in the darkness", as Shizuka had done for Jonouchi. [1] He also is very good with his hands, and his mind. He may not be that much of a threat, but when you think about it, he can be._

            Jonouchi felt his heart twang as he thought about Honda. He had helped him so much... Jonouchi just wished he could somehow convince Honda not to beat up Yugi anymore, and help his fallen friend instead. 

            "I wonder who..." Jonouchi trailed off. He was going to ask who Honda hated so, but he knew. It was him.

            Jonouchi.

            He hated Jonouchi for dying. Jonouchi watched him sleep, realizing the pain he was feeling was caused by his own clumsiness. Now, because of his death, Honda was beating people up once more, and Yugi seemed to have given up on life. They looked alright on the outside, but deep in their hearts, they were terrified.

            A falsehood. Wait, falsehood.... That reminded Jonouchi of a song Shizuka had preformed years back, when she was a little girl of eight. She had a very crisp voice, her high pitches bouncing off the ceiling of the outdoor arena. She had been elected to sing it at a national event in her new home in Kyoto. Jonouchi had heard it on the radio, and seen a news article about it. He struggled to remember her voice, as she sang about falsehoods and deceit...

            Jonouchi could see her, standing on a stage, her hands folded behind her. Just last year, she had performed the same song again, since it was supposed to symbolize today's economy.

            Her voice rang in his mind.

            _"Those who are proud, have false priiiiide... Those who are loud, must have lied... Those who are fraaaud, themselves fried... Those light as cloud... Easily gliiide..." _[2] Crystal tears formed in his eyes. 

He wiped them away without thinking, expecting them to evaporate into the atmosphere.

            They didn't. Two drips of salty tear hit the floor with little _pitter patter_ sounds. Jonouchi stared at the floor, then looked up at Honda. Honda opened his eyes a little, sitting up and wiping his eyes. He was humming to the tune of the song Shizuka had sung.

            "Ahhh.... why am I awake? I'm so tired..." he moaned, lying down again. Jonouchi sat down on the edge of the bed, watching Honda's eyes look around the room. Honda was stretching and trembling, as if he were cold. He closed his eyes and stayed this way, as if in a trance. Jonouchi watched him closely.

            "Honda... What's going on here?" he asked. He had been asking a lot of questions lately... The song rang in his mind. He couldn't keep it out of there, so he began singing it, as if it were a lullaby.

            "Those who are proud, have false priiiiide... Those who are loud, muuuust have lied... Those who are fraaaud, themselves fried... Those light as cloud.... Easily gliiide..." His voice was rough and wavering, nowhere near the soft, gentle sound that Shizuka produced when she sang. But he didn't care. 

            As long as Honda slept peacefully, he really didn't care.

_All of this I, I can't believe I couldn't see. Kept in the dark, but you were there in front of me...~Evanescence_

            Honda woke up the next day, crying. He had been plagued with nightmares of Jonouchi, seeing him at a distance, with his father coming after him with a staff. Jonouchi's father was a god, Jonouchi a mere commoner, the man beating him as if he had committed great sin...

            He didn't want to see something so horrible in his mind. Shivering, he rose, slipping his uniform on. He intended to apologize to Yugi, explain to him what was happening to him. Ever since last night, when he had felt so many emotions rushing at him like a freight train. He felt as if Jonouchi's own feelings had used him as a medium.

            As he walked down the hall, he was lost in his thoughts, even with Blankey barking at the air beside Honda like an idiot dog. All he did was absently pat her head, walking by into the kitchen. His sister, Makurayami, watched him as he grabbed his bag and left out through the door, not even bothering to say hello. Makurayami shook her head, holding a small bowl in her hand, ready to feed Johji. 

            "I don't understand that kid," she said softly, looking at Johji's bowl. "If only he could _say_ something to us once in awhile... Maybe I could help him." She watched as he made his way down the pathway onto the street, hands shoved into his pockets, not even bothering to look back at her. That was his problem; he didn't give any regards to his sister. Who wished he did.

            Honda walked briskly to the high school, thinking of just what to say to Yugi.

            _Yeah, that's it,_ he thought to himself, stringing his bag onto his shoulder. _I'll apologize to Yugi, and I won't get the urge to slap him. He saw the large building looming in the distance, beckoning him forwards. He could see Yugi's outline in the distance, or at least he thought it was Yugi. _

            "Hey! Hey, Yugi-kun!" he called, running through the gate. He slowed to a stop as he found that Yugi was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Anzu came stomping up to him, an angry look on her face.

            _Uh-oh._

            "HONDA HIROTO!!" she snapped, loud enough for people around them to turn to them.

            "Anzu?" Anzu gripped the front of his jacket in her fist. Even though she was at least four inches shorter then he was, and had half his muscle mass, she seemed to gain strength through her fury. Tears were in her eyes, and her lower lip was quivering. Her eyes were shooting flames, as if they would turn read and begin to glow. She was shaking.

            "WHAT DID YOU DO?" she nearly screamed in Honda's face. Honda managed to wrench free of her grip and stepped back.

            "Do what?" Anzu crossed her arms, her tears sliding down her face.

            "You know what you did, you, you, you _bastard!_" she said, breathing quickly. Honda shook his head.

            "Actually, I _don't know. What did I do?"_

            "You hurt Yugi!" she exclaimed. "I _know_ you did! I know you shoved him into the ground yesterday--"

            "--Wait a minute--"

            "-- and now he's not even in school! He's never missed school for anything! AND IT'S ALL YOUR F-FAULT!" she was shaking way too hard for Honda's liking. He gripped her shoulders and pulled her body towards him, wrapping her in a hug. It was strange for him to be showing physical affection for someone (besides Shizuka) in public. He was shaking too. Anzu cried and cried, her tears splashing off his jacket. She knew why he was hurting Yugi; they both knew.

            Anzu clutched his shoulder and wrapped her fingers around the fabric, nearly tearing it as she gripped it.

            "Anzu, it's alright," he said softly. He could feel Anzu shaking her head.

            "N-no it's not," she said. She pushed back and looked up at him. "Jonouchi d-died, Yugi's h-hurt or something... Ryou isn't doing well--"

            "What?"

            "--And-- And--" she stammered, unable to finish her sentence. Nearly everyone around had noticed them, and had heard Anzu. And they all knew what it was about... Jonouchi's death. His suicide had brought all this pain, all this madness to them.

            "And what, Anzu?" Honda asked. Anzu wiped her eyes and said slowly,

            "And... Shizuka hasn't left her room for days... Mai-san doesn't even know, and she's coming soon.... Mokuba is acting like a crazy person, and.... Otogi--" her tears muffled her voice. She had so much pain in her soul... 

            Jonouchi almost collapsed as it coursed through him. He was watching the scene. He knew all his friends must be angry with him-- not only that, but he _knew_ they all had secrets that they hid from him, and each other... He wanted to check Shizuka, monitor Yugi, visit Ryou, see Mai, help Otogi, find out what was happening to Mokuba..... And Anzu, whom he _knew_ had something going on… Jonouchi stared at them as they stood there, amid all the other students, who were watching them warily.

            Anzu pulled back from Honda, wiping her face. Honda smiled.

            "Better now?" he asked. Jonouchi wondered about what she would say… Anzu looked up, glaring at Honda with the most vicious, hated look Jonouchi had seen in a long time.

            "I hate you," she whispered, malice hanging on every word. Turning on her heel, she marched inside, leaving Honda standing there, stunned. He closed his eyes and sighed.

            "Anzu," he whispered to himself as everyone quickly followed her, as the bell had rung. "What's happening to you? Why are you becoming…" he didn't finish his thought, and slowly walked inside, leaving Jonouchi out on the empty grounds.

            "I caused all this?" he said slowly. He thought of Mai, coming to Japan with no warning of what would happen; Shizuka, who refused to leave her room; Ryou, dying because of something he couldn't control; Anzu, with the sister that hates her, and a side he'd never seen; Yugi, with a family who could care less about him. Jonouchi felt rage building inside of him, and screamed

            "WHY CAN'T I HELP ANYONE I LOVE AND CARE ABOUT!? HUH, CARO?!"

            But only the empty yard was there to answer back.

**_[]~[]~[]~[]~[]_**

~*Footnotes*~

**[1] "Shed light in Darkness":** in one of the BCF eppies in Japanese, the one where Jou dueled Rishid, right before the BIG flashback into Rishid's past, shizuka didnt want to watch anymore. she was afraid. but jonouchi said that he had given her light by making her able to see again, and she "shed light" on his confidence and playing skills, and gave him hope. "Shed light in darkness." then rishid went into flash-back mode....

**[2] Falsehood:** This is actually a poem written by an author named Shahriar Shahriari. I dont own it. Its short and its entitled "Falsehood". ^^

~*End Footnotes~*

SOOOOOOO... what dya think? that was about honda... so... next chap will be anzu and her problems "behind closed doors and sound barriers". i like the way that sounds!

Joey: wow, i never knew that was going on with them.... thats really depressing, Shibby. o, btw, are we gonna come back to yugi?  
Shibby: yep. im gonna try to intertwine all their stories to lead back to yugi. now, next chap will be anzu, which will lead to ryou, who will lead to otogi, who will lead to shizuka, who will lead to mai, who will eventually lead BACK to yugi.  
Joey: @_@ dizzy...

**Next chap: Anzu's turn to tell Jonouchi what her deal is… And it's nothing he ever thought he'd see. _Chapter Three: Dancer with a Broken Wing_**

**reviewz****:**

**Jeshone****: yea, I know you're a JoeyxIsis person, but I killed off joey…*evil snicker* newayz I hope you liked the Honda-based chap!  
**Anonymous:** that's okay. You don't need a name if you don't want one… hehe yes I did watch that… but that's not the only thing im going off of for this story.  
**Unable to Cry:** actually, from my previous account, yes, I did know that. I had another account on ff.net a few years back that got terminated, when I still wrote lotsa Poke fics. The more angsty the fics got, the more people read. I'll update as fast as humanly possible, but I have about three other fics going on at the same time.  
**Una1: ***^___________^* aww! That's so sweet! I feel so special…^^!! I'm glad I wrote a fic to your liking. It didn't make me cry, but I am the one who wrote it, and when I saw the Togos and Teges thing on tv, I cried at it. Also when I read some stories on suicide and abuse in Japan in a book thingy one year, I cried. I took some of the ideas… well i based some of the happenings in the fic after them. Oh, and "Concrete Angel" is sung by Martina McBride. It's a song about a little girl who is abused by her mother. VERY sad… *starts singing* _"Somebody cries in the middle of the night… the neighbors hear but they turn out the light… a fragile soul caught in the hands of fate… when morning comes it'll be too late…" _*breaks into the chorus*  
**YumeTakato****:** you like huggling Yugi, ne? soon he'll have a restraining order when you got o hug him! ^^  
**Brodie**** and Casey:** nah, dun worry about it. I was just kidding. I liked your enthusiasm, actually^^… this is why he was doing it. It explained it this chap.  
**Katya**** Mutou:** I LUV your name!^.^ newayz… if you don't want yugi to kill himself, your in for a SURPRISE…. IM NOT TELLING!! *runs around all bratty-like* **Yugi: 0.0;; your not gonna make me do something dumb and like almost kill myself for someone else like in _ISD,_ right?** Shibby: ^_^ *slinks away*  
**K Yami Yugi29:** thankies!! Glad you liked it! Im so happy…*tears* newayz im ova it. **Joey: YEAH RIGHT.** Shibby: I CAN TORTURE YOU MORE NOW… hehe im a freak**

so... plz review!

**Shibby****-One**


	4. Chapter Three: Dancer with a Broken Wing

whoa..... *is awed* wow... i have 27 reviews total for this fic so far! *whistles* thats incredible!

Joey: *mutters to self* dammit people LIKE my torture?  
Shibby: erm... should i answer that? anyway, I've invited some of the authors who like to review onto the set today!  
YumeTakato: hehe... Hey Yugi--  
Yugi: Oh shit -- *runs*  
YumeTakato: hahaha! Come back!!! *chases*  
Shibby, Una and Ygoc2008: *watches with interest*  
Una: this is funn^^  
Ygoc2008: tis quite.  
Joey: *sad cuz everyone ignores him* oh so i guess no one CARES that im dead and depressed...  
Una: hmm? what did you say?  
Joey: *rolls eyes* i give up... can I quit?  
Shibby: not before this chap!

**_Chapter Three: Dancer with a Broken Wing_**

****

            Anzu slammed her bedroom door shut, making the pictures hung on her wall shake in their frames. Stomping could be heard outside the door, and Anzu spun around, glaring at the door.

            "JUST FUCK OFF, TAMEO!!" she screamed, stepping back. Someone was pounding on the door heavily, making it nearly jump out of its hinges.

            "LET ME IN!"

            "NO!" Anzu fell back onto her bed, watching the door angrily. Jonouchi was standing outside the door, hands in his pockets, slightly amused at what he was seeing. Tameo was standing against the door, her fist poised as if she would bang the door. Her eyes were closed and she was crying. She slid down the door, curling into a little ball. She banged her head against the door, making a loud _thud. Jonouchi felt a growing sense of confusion and pity inside his chest._

            "What the..." he muttered. He had never known Tameo to be so violent towards Anzu. Whenever he saw them together, they were always happy and peaceful, like two perfect sisters. 

            Of course, they didn't know Jonouchi was watching them. Jonouchi leaned against the wall, frowning. He didn't like to see his friend like this...

            Tameo stood up, wiping her eyes, and turned her back on the door. She was about to walk away, when she decided to give Anzu the finger through the door instead. She shoved her hands into her pockets and stomped away into the living room. She flopped down on the soft, plush sofa, and crossed her legs. She placed two of her small hands on her lower stomach, her fingers crossing her abdomen. She was a thin girl, with very lean muscles. Anzu was stronger then her, and more graceful. She was able to dance easier because her feet were longer then Tameo's, and she had always been flexible. Tameo had to work hard to even think of amounting to her sister's talent.

            And now she had something even bigger to deal with. Tameo closed her eyes and leaned against the sofa cushions, her eyes closed.

            "Oh God," she whispered. "Help me." Jonouchi looked from Tameo to Anzu's closed door. He hadn't tried it yet, but he figured he could walk right through the door. He took a step forward, then another, pacing himself, in case, for some reason, it didn't work. He extended his arm, his fingertips brushing the oak door. Finally, he plunged his entire body into the door, completely passing through it. He appeared in Anzu's dark bedroom, the only light being Anzu's desk lamp. Anzu was sitting on her bed, staring at the floor, her arms crossed in front of her. Jonouchi had followed the girl home after school, interested to see what Anzu had been hiding. And he had discovered one thing:

            Tameo hated her. She really, truly did. They were step sisters; Anzu's mother married Tameo's father. And they have _never_ gotten along at home. 

            Ever. Because Tameo was jealous of her sister, who was a year older then herself. Anzu was more talented, smarter, nicer, and of course, the added edge.... Tameo was pregnant; Anzu was not.

            Anzu stood up, stretching, bending her arm over her shoulder to the bottom of her back. Jonouchi temporarily forgot about what he was doing as he watched in awe at her flexibility.

            "Whoa," Jonouchi said, whistling. "She's good." Of course, she didn't hear him, but she looked up, her eyes dancing over the dark room. She turned the overhead lamp on, and sat down in her desk chair, staring at the door. Jonouchi sat on Anzu's bed, watching her closely. Anzu had yelled at Honda again, telling him she would _never_ forgive him. Honda had admitted to hurting Yugi, causing him to stay at home with his injury. Anzu just sat there, staring blankly ahead. Jonouchi longed to say something, to tell her that Yugi needed her help. It wasn't just Honda, it was the bitch who was his mother. But he couldn't.

            Anzu stood up, and slowly opened the door. Tameo had left for somewhere, who knows where. Anzu sat down on the same sofa and closed her eyes, trying to think of where Tameo would be.

            "If I were a self-centered bitch," she murmured, "where would I hide?" Her eyes opened slowly, the lifeless look in them tearing at Jonouchi. He had truly never felt like this before. He had no idea what a bitch Tameo really was... Then Jonouchi noticed something that greatly disturbed him.

            Anzu's lips were moving. But she didn't seem to be making sense.

            "She wants me," she whispered, scared. "They all want me dead. The sea, the water, the people..." Anzu shook her head, holding her palm against her forehead. Jonouchi watched her lips. She was whispering "No, no, no, no...."

            She stood and walked to the door, slipping on her shoes as she went. She grabbed her jacket and left the apartment, slamming the door shut as she left. Jonouchi followed, invisible.

            He pushed the strange occurence out of his mind.

_~Non est ad astra mollis e terra via: there is no easy way from the earth to the stars.~_

            After walking for nearly an hour, Anzu finally arrived in downtown Domino. She knew Tameo's boyfriend, the one who got her pregnant, lived and worked down here. In this dump.

            Of course, the way Anzu was dressed, you would think she lived down here as well. She was wearing tight, black pants and a black denim jacket, a red tank top underneath the jacket. She was wearing Tameo's boots, the ones with the dragon on the sides. On the back of the jacket was a big, blood-red cross, which greatly resembled blood. On the front of her tank top were the kanji that made up the word _nakiato. [1] Jonouchi shivered._

            _What the fuck,_ he thought to himself. _Since when did Anzu actually _act_ like Tameo?_

            "She doesn't," Caro's voice suddenly entered his brain. Jonouchi's eyes flew from Anzu for a moment, and he looked around wildly for the mysterious beauty.

            "Caro?" he called. "C-Caro, where are you? What do you know about this?" Caro appeared behind him, leaning against a tree. Her white school uniform, pale hair and skin made her stand amongst the crowd of black. Anzu leaned against the outside wall of a bar, apparently waiting for something. Jonouchi wondered why he hadn't noticed her outfit before. Maybe because he was much too trained on her face. Anzu had looked distraught.

            Caro stepped forward, taking Jonouchi's hands in her own. She held them up, and put them over his heart, planting them firmly on his chest. Jonouchi looked from his hands to Caro. Caro was gently tracing his fingers.

            "Caro--"

            "They're sad," she said slowly. Jonouchi stared at her. "Look, you're scared. You're hurt."

            "What do you mean?" Jonouchi asked. He looked down at his hands, and nearly screamed, except he was so much in shock, he probably couldn't even squeak.

            His hands were white, his fingers twitching like mad. They were spurting blood and what looked like salty water, the substance sliding down over his white, trembling hands. He looked up at Caro, horrified. Caro was just staring at his hands. Jonouchi looked back down, to see his hands.... Normal. No blood, no salty tears, no bone-white skin. He forced his hands out of Caro's grasp and examined them, turning them over and flexing his fingers. He looked up at Caro, anger taking the expression of fear away.

            "What the _fuck was_ that?!_" he cried. Caro placed a finger over his mouth._

            "Shh," she whispered. "She needs you." With that, Caro disappeared, leaving Jonouchi standing there, alone once more. He turned around to see Anzu, still standing there, only this time, talking to someone. Jonouchi watched her closely. She didn't seem to be fazed by the guy standing next to her, his arms crossed, looking out over the crowd. Jonouchi sighed. He marched up to the two of them and tried to intervene, then remembered he couldn't be seen by living people. Angrily, he crossed his arms and tried to listen to their conversation. As it turns out...

            "I'm not quite sure," Anzu was saying, beaming at the guy. He looked like he was either stoned, drunk, or both. The guy leaned against the wall like he was going to collapse any second. With eyes half-open, he nodded.

            "Well, if ya see her," he said, slurring his words, "Tell Tameo that I'm waitin'."

            "For, erm... What, exactly?" Anzu said nervously, playing with her shirt hem. The guy gave a sly smile and stood straight -- or as straight as he would stand, at least. 

            "Oh, she knows what I'm talkin' 'bout," he said, cracking his knuckles. He gave Anzu a little salute, then staggered away, nearly walking into someone else. Anzu just flipped him off, crossed her arms, and gazed in the opposite direction. She stared at the milling crowds of people, almost with a longing glance. Jonouchi wondered just how long she had been coming here. For a few weeks now, even before his death, she had gone straight home after school, usually being tired when she got home late at night. Her work was done, but it was done in a rushed way -- like she just had enough time to finish it when she returned home. Jonouchi and the others had dismissed it as a new job, but now...

            Jonouchi _never considered that possibility. What __was Anzu, anyway? Was she still a sweet, innocent girl who had big, ambitious dreams?_

            Or was she being drowned in the typical Tokyo stereotype of being a prostitute, and a bad-ass with a shit attitude who hung out at pool halls and bars? Jonouchi tried to shake himself out of it. But it wasn't working. The same image of Anzu talking to that letch came back into his mind, piercing his very soul. He wished he could just make it disappear, but every time he willed it away, it came back even more haunting than before.

            Finally, Jonouchi couldn't take it anymore. He marched up to Anzu, standing right before her, and grabbed her shoulders. He didn't even noticed that he didn't pass through her body this time. Feet planted firmly on the ground, he shook her shoulders -- hard. Anzu jerked around as he shook her, searching for the reason.

            "Anzu! Mazaki Anzu! Get your ass outta here before you're affected by this, too!" He stopped, breathing hard, his grip loosening. He let go of Anzu and stepped back, then turned and ran, his tears blinding his way.

**_*_**

****

            Anzu arrived at the hospital later then usual that night. She was still shaken at what had happened at the bar.

            As she slipped into her white jacket as she prepared to do her duties as the check-in nurse, she thought about the strange phenomenon that had occurred.

            _It's not real,_ she was trying to convince herself. _It was all an image. A mirage. I had to be drunk or stoned or something! There was no way that... That..._

"That Jonouchi was lecturing me," she said very softly as she passed a couple of doctors. She relieved the nurse at the desk, her thoughts still mingling. She had just been standing there, wondering if Tameo would ever come back like she said, when...

            When Jonouchi had gripped her shoulders and shook her, yelling in her face. His scared, angry words echoed in her mind.

            _Anzu! Mazaki Anzu! Get your ass outta here before you're affected by this, too!!_ He had sounded so afraid that she was going to become just like Tameo. Yeah, right.

            Like _she would stoop that low. She was so lost in her head she didn't notice someone was talking to her._

            "Anzu? An~zu? Anzu? Are you paying attention?" Doctor Mazaki, her mother, was standing in front of her, waving her hands in her face and tapping her. Anzu looked up, raising her eyebrows.

            "Mom?" she said slowly. She jerked up, her hair falling from where she had pushed them behind her ears. "Oh, Momma, I'm sorry, I--"

            "That's alright," Doctor Mazaki said, pushing her gently. "Your friend was just re-admitted today, and I think he's in for the long run this time." Anzu's expression became even more depressed, if that were possible.

            "Who -- Ryou?" Doctor Mazaki nodded.

            "Yes, I'm sorry, dear," she said, her hand on her daughter's shoulder. Anzu nodded and looked at her feet. She looked up and looked down the hallway.

            "Can I see him?" she asked. Ryou had _just_ been released a few days earlier. However, he was now getting worse and worse, slowly becoming more sick and depressed. He seemed so un-enthusiastic to live at this point, that he silently wished they would put him to sleep and never wake him up. 

            Anzu stopped outside the door. She could see into the room. Ryou had just been admitted into a room after leaving the ER, so he was most likely still out from the gasses they had given him to fall asleep. The last time she had visited, he was in the middle of talking to himself, so she just sat and listened. What she heard had terrified her.

            Ryou had said to no one that he wished that when they put him to sleep on the novacaine and such, he would just stay like and.... just waste away. The last thing he would ever see would be the walls of the hospital, not that his father valued his only son that much enough to actually stay in the same country with him. His father was somewhere in England right now, getting the money to pay for this, supposedly.

            Ryou just wanted to die.

            And Anzu wanted to just.... disappear. She had always seemed to watch her life from the outside looking in, never quite easing into the gist of her own life. She lived a double life, but it was more like a double lie. She wasn't true to herself, even when she was alone. 

            She was afraid. She knew that if she let herself think among things that were true, she would find herself admitting that she didn't know herself. She was constantly dwelling on who she really was, and why she existed. She was always changing, her thoughts interrupting with everyday life. But her parents and sisters were almost never home, so no one questioned it. She continued to leave a double life, while slowly....

            Slowly going insane.

_I've learned the world is bigger then me. You're my daily dose of reality.-"Stand Here With Me" by Creed_

            Jonouchi wanted so much to call out to Anzu and reassure her. He could feel the pain she was going through as she watched Ryou sleep. He had never noticed it before, but Anzu was really unsure of herself. She seemed to question her existence. Jonouchi could sense her mind becoming less organized, falling apart. She was slowly losing her sanity, every single horrid day she was forced to lead more then one life. Her school life, her home life, her life alone.... She wasn't true to herself.

            That hadn't always been the way.

            Anzu closed her eyes and slid down the wall, her white jacket bunching at her waist. She banged her head against the wall, shaking. Her mother was watching her worriedly. Another doctor, someone good friends with the Mazaki's, began to question her mother.

            "Come," [2] he whispered, watching Anzu. "What's happening to her?" Doctor Mazaki shrugged.

            "This has been going on for about two months now," she whispered back. "I think she's losing her sanity." The way she said this sickened Jonouchi. She said it with an amused tone, as if she was excited and amused to watch her daughter suffer. The other doctor just stared at Anzu. "I've noticed she's not been making much sense lately. She's been crying and can't remember why, brusises randomly appear from where she's bumped into things like walls and railings, and she always lost in her head."

            "Maybe she should see someone."

            "Nah, only if she starts taking pills. _Then_ I know I need to see someone." Jonouchi watched Anzu's motions carefully, and diagnosed her himself.

            She was losing her sanity _and she was deeply depressed. She stood up, took one last look at Ryou, then walked down the corridor, shoving someone aside. Jonouchi watched and attempted to reach out and stop her, but it didn't work this time. She didn't notice him._

            Anzu was lost in her own head. She had finally gone over the edge.

            Tears were streaming down her face as she stormed out of the hospital, tossing the jacket aside. Still in those same dark clothes as before, she ran out into the night, walking blindly. Tears dotted her face as she looked out at the ocean. Her hair blew out behind her, as if beckoning Jonouchi to come any closer to her. She was shivering and staring, and then, she finally lost it. Her tears become more and faster, and she fell to her knees, leaning her head against the rail of the railing. She looked up, and her eyes became wide with fear as she backed up, getting dangerously close to the street.

            "No," she whispered, holding up her hands. "No, please, get away! No, help me! They're after me!" she stood up, backing up more. Jonouchi ran behind her and touched her shoulder.

            She screamed. She stood there, shaking, still crying. 

            "The hands.... The hands of the sea! They're calling to me! They--" she stopped short as she backed into the street. Jonouchi watched with wide eyes. He remembered hearing Anzu like this before!

            "Anzu! Anzu, snap out of it!" but she wasn't listening. She seemed set on getting away from the ocean. She screamed as rain fell.

            "They're.... They're there! The sea, the water, the people....." She became apparent in the middle of the street. Jonouchi stared as he remembered hearing Anzu muttering something about the 'people' after her, and the 'hands of the sea' wanted to drown her. She was talking to herself nonsensically in class one day, saying that the 'people' were after her to torture her with flames and pain in hell. She was convinced, but then.... She became cheery again.

            With false cheer.

            And Jonouchi was the only one who was there. The next few seconds flew by in a blur -- one moment, she was screaming. The next, tires screeched in the distance as they became nearer, closer--

            A car was barreling down on Anzu. Jonouchi stared, and then found himself running. He knew he couldn't do anything-- He didn't want her to die insane--

            His hands connected with her shoulder blades. Her body was flung to the side into the next lane, where there was no traffic. She and Jonouchi fell onto the ground, Anzu with a bloody nose. But that was it. The car screeched by without a second glance at Anzu. Jonouchi angrily flipped them off. He looked down at Anzu.

            "Anzu, listen to me," he said softly. "It will be alright." The rain pattered against her body, flattening her hair to her forehead. She was still sobbing, and crawled over to the side of the road. She laid down on the grass, letting the water fall down her face. Her lips were moving, but Jonouchi couldn't make out what she was saying. He knelt beside her.

            "Anzu-chan?" Anzu's eyes were open. They were blank and staring, as if she couldn't see anything. Jonouchi closed his eyes and covered his face. He had learned about this condition; somehow, at home, she had been convinced every_one and every_thing_ was after her, wanted her dead--_

            She was now gone forever. Her soul was lost in the darkness; she was beyond help... Her body was still alive, but her soul, her heart, her fire... It had been lost.

            She would _never recover. She had gone insane. She would probably be found the next morning, half frozen with the same blank stare. She would be brought to a 'mental hospital', the nice name for an insane asylum. Jonouchi watched her as her eyes closed, her body slowing down in the cold rain and low temperatures. He watched her with sad and pitiful eyes. He looked out over the road, watching as the black sea ripped and tore at the sky. He closed his eyes, and lowered his head._

            "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry that I'm killing everyone." The next few things happened in a blur-- Someone saw Anzu, checked her body-- still alive-- saw her eyes, recognized the symptoms, called 9-1-1. Jonouchi just watched, feeling as if he were lost, too. He vowed to save her; he vowed that save them all.

            He knew he couldn't. He couldn't save himself...

            How could he save them?

~*Footnotes~*

**[1] nakiato:** means "after one's death" in Japanese.

**[2] Come:** Anzu's mother's name. I made it up. Pronounced **KOE-may**

~*End Footnotes~*

Joey: SHIBBY THATS PLAGERISM!!  
Shibby: *whistles* what?  
Joey: *stern look*  
Shibby: *sigh* okay okay, the whole crazy-Anzu-sea-thing was taken from Losing Christina 1: Fog by Caroline B. Cooney. Dont own it. So dont sue me. I always thought of Anya and Anzu similarly...  
Joey: *eye roll*  
Shibby: AHH! ITS 9:30!! GOTTA WATCH DARIA! (dont own it) TATA! READ THE REVIEWS!

**reviewz: (I stuck them in one HUUUUGE paragraph!)**

**Unknown-Soul-Alliance: **erm… Yeah. Jou _is _dead. Cool, ne? **Jeshone: **yay! Jeshone got an account! *does happy account dance* okay im done. Im glad you like Caro! She's a cool character… you'll be surprised to find out her identity later, I bet ya… I read your profile, and thank you! Im glad I inspired you to pursue your own writing! Congrats! And poor, poor Honda… Like I said, he's always left on the outside of EVERYTHING…**Anonymous:** *stares at incredible review* I have to say, I am shocked. I think the only other person who has ever said something like that has been Jeshone and Una1. Whoa… well, now I hafta make each chapter rock!** darksora-chan:** oh my Ra! *giggles* hey that's weird! My stupid Microsoft Word just capitalized 'Ra' for me…. Strange…. Well I shall update! I would update FASTER…. 'cept I have _5 OTHER FICS GOING ON!!!!_ *hits self* im so silly….*giggles insanely* look at how much im NOT like the characters in this fic?** Una1:** ;-; ooh, poor Una! Im glad you got out of that too! Well, ive read enough articles, books and other things to know that, well… We're only human… Oh, BTW: NEVER EVER EVER READ A MANGA CALLED 'CONFIDENTIAL CONFESSIONS'. Its about a girl…. Its VERY VERY WRONGISH…. She wants to commit suicide and gets wrapped up into this sadistic world…. I never knew that the Japanese was just as bad as us! They have about the same percentage of teens committing suicide every year…. That's just so saaaaaaad to think about…. *cries* they should listen to 'Hold On' more often!** Little Liela:** it'll be tough, but I think I can manage to stick Mokuba in there SOMEHOW… hmmm maybe Seto and Mokuba. Bring out Seto's softer side, ne?** Master Elora Dannan:** No, I haven't read The Lovely Bones. I've just recently found out about that book! Ive heard about it, but I never knew what it was about! I was reading _ym_ when they reviewed a book called Afterlife that is _freakishly like this story_. A boy is murdered and he watches over his loved ones and tries to tell them he's fine and it wasn't painful, but it KILLS him to see them that way… I should really read these books! *goes to Library***K Yami Yugi29:** Ok, ok! The next chap is REALLY ooc (Tea is all gothic-like) but then she becomes more IN character again… hey wait that's the chap you just read! Never mind!** YumeTakato:** *smiles* I doubt it… actually im always torturing Yugi in my author notes, yet he still appears to talk to me… *ponders* **Baka Neko Mickey-chan:** Wow. And to think, I originally wrote this because a song was stuck in my head…. I never knew it would touch people like this!

++++++++NEXT CHAP+++++++  
_Chapter Four: Yin and Yang -- Ryou is nearly helpless in his sicken state, in the means of helping himself. He misses Jonouchi and his friends and family, but... Caro seems to know Ryou. She watches him with such sad eyes.... Did she know him in life? And why does she keep calling him 'Sole'?_

Tell me what YOU think!  
**Shibby-One**


	5. Chapter Four: Yin and Yang

Yugi: wellll..... its ryou's turn!

Ryou: i KNOW something bad is gonna happen... im always the victim!!

Shibby: your just such an ANGSTY character! blame Takahashi, not me!

Ryou: I'll get you-- *chases shibby*

**for**** the record, i DONT own YUGIOH or Kazuki Takahashi. hate to break it to ya! I also don't own Disturbed or their song 'Darkness'. **

**_Chapter Four: Yin and Yang_**

****

            Ryou kept his eyes closed as he listened to the murmurs around him.

            "Yeah, they're saying she's in that hospital now..."

            "Oh my God... Do they know what drove her to it?"

            "No idea. Probably something at home."

            "Yeah. Mazaki hasn't shown her face since...." He couldn't stand it anymore. Hearing these people talk about someone he knew so carelessly... Well, it wasn't as if he knew what they were talking about. All _he_ knew was that Anzu was found on the side of the road a few days ago, muttering to herself, half dead, her eyes dark, dank and lifeless. Ryou turned onto his side, his white hair falling over his face. His thin body shivered, and his stark white skin looked as if it were stretched right over bone.

            He was nearly deteriorating. He was plagued with a horrible sickness, one that affected his lungs, throat and heart. The mortality rate for this is very high. And if his body doesn't respond to this next treatment, then he's as good as dead. Not that he didn't know that. He had given up on life.

            Jonouchi appeared before Ryou's bed, standing at the edge, his hands behind his back. He watched Ryou scrunch into a ball underneath the sheets, his frail body quivering as he coughed. His eyes remained closed as he drew one of his arms up to his head, resting his fevered brow on his arm. His arm was so thin, it literally looked like bone. It didn't help he was extremely pale as well. He had been re-admitted a few days earlier, and he wasn't happy about it.

            "Oh my God," Jonouchi muttered, his eyes watching Ryou. It was almost too much for Jonouchi to bear, watching Ryou like this. Jonouchi backtracked and thought about his friends; Yugi, trapped in a vicious home with a bitchy mother, failing his way out of high school; Honda, so screwed up and lost he turns to _beating_ people for comfort; and Anzu, who was _so_ lost, depressed and forgotten at home as well as school, drove herself to insanity. And now Ryou-kun.

            Ryou coughed gently, laying his head against the pillows. The Sennen Ring was laying on his bedside table, the gold glinting off the soft lights from the edge of the room. Jonouchi couldn't help but feel sympathy for him, what with the Ring _and_ being ill.

            Then he remembered what he had heard Anzu say.

            Ryou had lost his will to live. Jonouchi stared down at him, watching him without really thinking about it, when he felt a strong sense of emotion -- sorrow, sadness and anger -- rush through him. He nearly reeled back when the force hit him with such _power._

            It was Caro. She was standing at the edge of the bed, staring at Ryou. She showed nearly no emotion in her brown eyes, just staring down at Ryou like she was in some strange trance. A soft breeze blew into the room through the window, billowing the curtains and ruffling the sheets. Ryou, eyes closed, sighed and rolled onto his back, his white hair spread-eagled around his pale face, opening his eyes. They showed no light at all...

            Caro was humming something. Jonouchi walked over to her, trying to pick up the tune. Her beautiful auburn hair began to billow, as if the wind was picking it up. Jonouchi gasped, watching her hair and her clothes ruffle, her hands settling on the edge of the bed, as if she were there. As if she was alive. Her white angelic uniform flared up and around her waist, her eyes showing sadness. She was humming, but sounded on the verge of tears.

            _Wait a minute..._ Jonouchi watched her closely.

            "Caro?" he asked gently. Caro cast her eyes toward Jonouchi. She was kneeling next to the bed, her arms lying on the comforter, her hands folded. Ryou remained still.

            "If you feel a powerful emotion," she explained, her voice wavering, "then you can have physical contact with a person or a thing." She turned back to Ryou, still watching him. She began humming once more.

            Jonouchi recognized the tune. It was a familiar song he had heard once on the radio, one that had affected Ryou. Ryou had almost stopped breathing when he heard the song. He cast his eyes downward and buried his face in his arms, sobbing. They had comforted him and rubbed his back and dried his tears, asking what was wrong.

            He said he couldn't explain it.

            This was why he had been crying. Jonouchi looked down at the floor, and was surprised to see a pool of dark red blood rippling at his feet. He held up his hands once more, to see they were bone-white and cracked and bleeding, the blood stretching down his white arms, staining his school jacket. It dripped off his fingers, onto the floor, onto his feet, dripping down his legs. It was grotesque, but Jonouchi showed no emotion to it. He put one of his hands to his face, and felt the cold skin and cold blood running down his face. He closed his eyes and slumped a little, shaking.

            Caro began to sing.

            "Don't turn away, I pray you've heard the words I've spoken.... Dare to believe, oh for one last time and then I'll let darkness cover me.... Deny everything... Slowly walk away... To breathe again.... On my oowwwnn..." she sang, dragging the word _own._ Her tears fell down her face, tears slowly turning to blood.

            They're situation was affecting them as well. Jonouchi bled for his friends, and he knew more blood and tears would be shed as he saw more friends suffering. And Caro bled for her brother.... Who was Ryou.

            Caro's true name was Bakura Amane. Ryou's older sister.

            Who had died before Ryou arrived in Domino.

**_*_**

            Ryou wasn't listening to the doctors talk around him. He didn't pay attention. He was more concerned on what the doctors had to say about the mortality rate of this procedure.

            Because, hopefully, he would die. He watched the doctors with vacated eyes, which were the only things left that had life to them. Until now, that is...

            "Yes, this is such a dangerous experiment, he might not survive."

            "Only if his body doesn't respond to the medications, remember."

            "Yes, yes, of course, of course..." The bed began to shift. They were transferring him to a stretcher.

            Jonouchi watched from beside Ryou. He looked down at his fallen friend, watching him with a tight concern.

            "Ryou..." he muttered. Ryou's eyes opened, and they landed on Jonouchi. Jonouchi jumped, startled. 

            _Can he see me?_ he thought, but Ryou's eyes closed once more. Some type of air mask was covering his mouth and nose, and Ryou's eyes remained closed. They rolled the stretcher to an examining room, where the doors shut behind them.

            Jonouchi stood there, transparent, in the hallway, staring at the double doors. They beckoned to him, as if trying to lure him their way.

            But Jonouchi couldn't get the image of Ryou on the stretcher out of his mind. He had been a stick, literally. His skin was pure white, with all sorts of tubes attached to his skinny arms. He had been disconnected from an air tank just to be put back on one. He looked.... dead.

            Jonouchi couldn't help but think that maybe this procedure was actually longing his pain instead of helping it. Maybe. Just maybe... It was killing him.

            "Alright, Bakura Ryou is coming into room B-25, call Doctor Achiemai."

            "Okay, I'm on it." A nurse ran off in the opposite direction.

            "Alright, you, contact Bakura's father, see if you can get in touch with him – now!"

            "Okay, okay, get over it, man." A volunteer headed towards the service desk. The nurse sighed as she pulled a clipboard out of a side hanging from the side of a desk.

            It hit Jonouchi right then that he was _inside_ the ER. He blinked, surprised, then turned on his heel and left the room. He did _not_ want to be present during the operation, that was for sure…

            "Where is he?" a voice demanded in the waiting room. Jonouchi turned towards it, watching a man talk to the receptionist. Jonouchi's eyes widened.

            It was Ryou's father! Jonouchi recognized his blue ponytail and his tall stature, his eyes narrowed angrily at the receptionist.

            "In the ER, sir," she said, not looking up. "You're going to have to wait like the others to see him."

            "He's my _son,_ dammit!" he cried, pounding his fist on the desk. "I demand to see him!" The receptionist rolled her eyes and typed something into the computer. Two police officers were standing near the doorway, where they always were, watching Bakura Aishouka with angry glares. Aishouka didn't really care, however, and he leaned forwad, both palms on the desk.

            "Listen, I have been trying to get back here all week – and you tell me that I can't _see_ him? He's my own son!"

            "I'm sorry, he's in the examining room!" The receptionist said with a new fire. She looked lethal, like she would start baring her teeth. Aishouka blinked.

            "Oh. Why didn't you just say so?" The receptionist narrowed her eyes, and Aishouka wandered aimlessly to a chair, sitting down, and staring at his hands, contorting them into different forms. The police sighed and looked in other directions.

            _Great father,_ Jonouchi thought, watching him. The receptionist rolled her eyes once more and continued filling out a form. The other people in the waiting room went back to whatever they were doing. Even though he actually appeared to care for his son, he didn't do much about it. Jonouchi leaned against the wall, trying to refrain himself from thinking about Ryou…

            "I love him," a voice said in his ear. Jonouchi jumped, breathing hard, looking around for the voice. It had been Caro's soft voice, and he saw her beside him.

            "Oh… Caro…" he said, relaxing his ghostly body. He smiled a little, and waited to see if she would continue. She did.

            "I love him so much," she said softly, a hint of tears in her voice. "But he's the reason I'm cursed here. He's the reason I have to stay on earth for so long. Because I'm too obsessed with his health." Jonouchi stared at Caro in disbelief.

            "Wait…. Caro, are you…. Bakura Amane?" he asked, watching her face for a reaction. She looked at the floor, her hair falling into a wall between him and her saddened eyes.

            "Yes," she said after a time. "I am Bakura Amane." Jonouchi lowered his eyes to the floor momentarily. "He is the reason that I'm here. I have to watch over him until he either gets better... Or dies." Her hands covered her face. Soft sobs emitted from her as she lifted her head, lowering her hands again. They were bleeding. The blood coursed down her thin fingers, down her arms, dripping onto the floor. Jonouchi watched her. He couldn't_ do_ anything about it. He knew that Ryou had lost his will to live; and there was no one who could convince him otherwise.

_~Dying may seem terrible, but to someone who is in no position to live, dying is a great relief.~_

            The procedure was over. Ryou was lying in the soft white sheets of the hospital bed, his eyes closed, sleeping off the anesthesia. He still looked sunken and white, and Jonouchi could still sense the coldness in his soul. The fact that he wanted to die.

            Caro (now found out be Amane) was sitting beside his bed, her head in her arms. Jonouchi watched the beauty with great respect and condolence.

            _She's so beautiful,_ he thought to himself. _She's so docile... And she has to suffer because Ryou is sick._ He walked over and bent down next to the bed, his eyes trained on Ryou as well. The boy's soft eyes began to open, and they settled on Caro. Caro was smiling, her bleeding hands hidden from view. Jonouchi watched both Caro and Ryou, waiting to see if what Caro said was true.

            "A...Amane," Ryou muttered. His eyes grew wide, and his breaths stifled. He was in complete shock. "Amane-chan!" Caro shushed him with a soft hissing sound. 

            "Ryou," she whispered. A smile played her face. "Sole." Ryou's eyes were half-open, and his body began to slow down again. Effects of the operation, no doubt. Ryou didn't even see Jonouchi.

            "Caro," Ryou whispered back. "Amane, how-" Caro placed a hand on his lips. Jonouchi's eyes bugged.

            _Ryou will see the blood!_ he thought suddenly, biting his lower lip. He let out a gasp, however, as Amane drew her hand back again, blood-free. 

            Ryou heard the gasp. He turned to see Jonouchi staring at Caro's hand. Ryou's face pulled into a smile.

            "Jonouchi," he muttered. He closed his eyes momentarily, then looked over at Caro. "Am... Am I dead?"

            "No, you're not," Caro assured him. "Listen, Ryou, you have to stay alive. Please."

            "Why?" Ryou asked. Jonouchi noticed his voice became more breathy sounding, as if it were taking him more air then he had in his lungs. "Amane..."

            "Do it for me," she whispered. Ryou shook his head. 

            "You left us," he accused, making Caro draw back in surprise. "You died. You left me with..." he didn't finish the sentence. Jonouchi knew what he was talking about.

            Bakura.

            "...With..." he shook his head. "No, Amane, I can't. There's nothing here for me."

            "You have something now," she told him, leaning closer to him. "You have people that care about you."

            "I _did,_" Ryou said, closing his eyes. "I don't now. Besides, I want to be with you."

            "But... You _can't," _Amane cried, grasping onto Ryou's hands. Jonouchi noticed little blood trails forming on her hands, which were stark white. Caro shook her head slowly. "You can't, Ryou!"

            "I want to," was his answer. He closed his eyes and relaxed his body, not saying another word. Caro, shaking, hands covered in blood, crying softly to herself, shook her head and lowered it onto the bed. Her sobs reached Jonouchi's ears, and he listened, wanting to run over and help her...

            The force of this hit him. He suddenly felt the painful, stinging sensation in his stomach that you get when something's wrong. It hit him like an eighteen-wheeler, making him stumble backwards. His back hit the wall, and he slid down it, dropping his hands in his lap. He shook his head and closed his eyes, a trickle of crimson falling down his white face.

            He bled

            For everyone.

            He silently wished that this would all go away, that his friends would be alright... But it wasn't true. Hands shaking, he pulled his hands into tight fists, and muttered under his breath

            "Damn you. Damn you... Father." He whimpered and made a decision. Standing up, he marched towards the bed, watching Amane cry and Ryou ignore her. He most likely thought this a dream of some sort.

            "Father," he muttered. "I'll get you. I know _someone _has to be...." Jonouchi shook his head and looked to the window, hearing the blood splash onto the floor.

            The sun was setting, sending blood-red streaks through the sky.

            The sun bled as well.

****

**_Yeah i know, stupid ending..._**

Well, it was the only thing I could think of. If yall didnt already know, im in the middle of a mini-crisis with some of my friends... a few of them are going towards anorexia and another couple have seriously thought about suicide... they even cut themselves, i saw the scars. so... thats why it took me so long. when im stressed, i type. thats why i have the whole mega-update thing going on...

Please. Pray for them? i dont really want to do reviewz this time around, dont worry i appreciate everything you have to say, and im glad. tata~

_++++++Chap Preview++++++_

_Otogi__ seems to be the only one unaffected by this tragic event -- and Jonouchi is angered by it. However, when Jonouchi sees the burden Otogi is placing on himself, not only by being optimistic, but something else he's doing for Shizuka, (and himself), Jonouchi has to find a way to stop Otogi before he works himself to exhaustion.... Or death. (this explains why he was smiling @ the funeral.)_

**Shibby****-One**


	6. Chapter Five: The SevenSided Die

Hehe... its Duke! Yaya! He does some weird stuffs... Poor Otogi, now i know why jou's all nervous..

Joey: 0.0 eh?

Shibby: nevermind!

**_Chapter Five: The Seven-Sided Die_**

****

            "It's a court order," Otogi muttered to himself, staring at the computer screen. He typed quickly, trying to bring up a search on other situations similar to Jonouchi's. "Court... Supreme Court... Huh..."

            "Otogi? Whatcha doing?" A voice came from behind him. One of his classmates was standing behind him, a big pile of books in her arms.

            "Oh... Teishou..." he said, turning to her. Teishou shifted the books and looked at the note in her hand. 

            "Do you know where the librarian is, Otogi-kun?" she asked. Otogi waved in the opposite direction, motioning through the bookshelves next to his dark corner.

            He was in Domino High's school library. Teishou, a girl from his Advanced Computer Programming class, was hauling three very large dictionaries. One on regular words, one on Internet lingo, and one on Computer parts.

            "Oof, these are heavy," she moaned dropping them onto the Check-In desk. She placed a gentle hand on top and looked over at Otogi. "Oooh, Otogi, you look dead. You should go home and rest for awhile."

            "Nah, I'm alright," Otogi assured her, waving her away. A bunch of American court cases of abuse in families came up on the search. Otogi turned when he heard the little 'ping' the computer made.

            "Ahh... Wait, wait a minute, no, I don't _want_ these... Damn you, computer..." He angrily pounded on the keyboard, screwing up the computer. The picture flickered, then a message popped up, telling him that the hard drive was down. "Oh, no..." Teishou sighed and walked over, pushing him aside.

            "Otogi," she started, typing busily. She watched the screen as a bunch of charts came up. She quickly filed in codes of complicated numbers, codes Otogi knew, but didn't understand in his present state. He looked drunk, or maybe he had a hangover. He was sitting on the floor, his arms holding him up, watching the screen. He was so dizzy...

            The computer screen came back. When Teishou saw the search results, she sighed and shook her head.

            "Otogi, you're _still_ trying to find out what happened with the Jonouchi case, right?" Otogi nodded, stifling a yawn. "You should cut it out. If the government doesn't want it published, it won't publish it. Now go home. I'll tell the teacher you left because you weren't feeling well."

            "But, Teishou..."

            "_Now."_ Grumbling, Otogi stood, wobbling a little. Teishou, a good four or five inches shorter then him, steadied him, then pushed him out of the room.

            That's when Jonouchi appeared. He watched Otogi stagger away, angrily pulling his bag over his shoulder. Jonouchi cocked his head to the side, wondering why Otogi was acting this way.

            "...Ano... Otogi-kun?" he said, watching him. Otogi was leaning against a wall, his dark hair falling over his face, panting as if he had been running for some time. His bag dropped to the floor with a thud and he slid down the wall, leaning his head against his arm, which was propped on the wall. His eyes opened warily.

            He was exhausted.

            "Wow..." Jonouchi muttered. "Otogi-kun...." He walked over and bent down next to him, listening to him breathe rapidly. Otogi licked his lips and pushed himself up, holding his head with his hand. 

            "....I gotta get home...."

            _Otogi.... What are you doing?_

"He's mentally tired."__

Jonouchi looked around, wondering where the voice came from. Amane was supposed to still be with Ryou at the hospital. She'd been there ever since the day before, when Ryou proclaimed that he didn't want to live. She had been crying so hard, even though Ryou had either lost consciousness or was on some type of medication. Jonouchi nodded as he stared at her.

            "Caro.... Amane," he corrected himself. "How's..."

            "I'm not sure," Amane admitted. She shivered. "I'm scared, Jonouchi. I... I've never felt this way before." Jonouchi raised his eyebrows. She was right; he'd never seen her like this before. Scared and lonely.

            "Well... If it's any consultation, I think that Ryou may feel different when he gets better...." Jonouchi started. Amane didn't comment.

            Both of them looked at Otogi, who was walking down the hallway like a drunkard. He was muttering incoherently. Jonouchi followed, with Amane following _him._ Otogi wandered around, using the wall for support. He left the building, walking along on the sidewalk, holding his bag over his shoulder. Jonouchi watched him as he strolled home, eventually coming across Otogi's large estate.

            With a trembling hand, Otogi ripped the door open, dropping his bag and collapsing onto the couch. Jonouchi walked into the room, looking around. He had never been in Otogi's house before, and was amazed at its size. It was huge.

            "Wow," Jonouchi breathed, obviously impressed. "This place is really big."

            "It's so pretty," Amane murmured, looking at the large, crystal windows and big, spacious rooms. "How long has this place been in Domino?"

            "I don't know," Jonouchi admitted. "The only place I've ever seen like this is the Kaiba mansion." Jonouchi wandered into the center of the room, taking in everything. He eventually turned to Otogi lying on his stomach, sprawled out on a large sofa. He was playing with the rug, twirling his finger around and around in it's plush exterior. He looked half asleep.

            "Ow," he murmured, stretching his back. He sat up, looking around the room. He then stood, and walked over to a large table set behind the couch. Jonouchi followed Otogi, interested to see what he was doing. He wanted to know _why_ Otogi was so exhausted…

            Amane went the other direction, coming to the opposite end of the table. She gasped loudly, her eyes opening wide, as Otogi and Jonouchi arrived to the other end.

            The table was completely covered in books and papers. Newspaper clippings, internet printouts, filing folders, old books on the government, you name it. Otogi picked up a newspaper clipping, yawning and squinting at it, reading it to himself. Amane peeked over his shoulder, reading it as well.

            "Oh… Wow…." Amane whispered, whistling. Otogi didn't notice her. Jonouchi stared at Otogi, wondering why. Then he remembered.

            Duh. Amane's dead.

            Like himself.

            Jonouchi shoved his hands into his jacket pockets, smiling at how funny Otogi and Amane looked together. Amane looked so white, so pale, like fresh snow, almost, compared to the rich, dark colors that made up Otogi's body. Even if Amane had been alive, she still would have looked white next to him. 

            "Jonouchi," Amane said softly, looking up at him. "This article is about you."

            "Eh? It is?" Jonouchi said, surprised. He walked over, intrigued now. Otogi placed the clipping down, opening a large, boring book about court cases. He flipped through it, his tired eyes skimming over the pages.

            "Here," Amane said, nodding towards the paper. "Read it. Just don't touch it. Otogi might get a little suspicious if his paper starts floating." Nodding, Jonouchi bent down, and read the article. He was surprised to find it _was_ about him.

            _Just this past week, here in __Domino__City__, another unfortunate case of child abuse and suicide was reported. Eighteen-year-old Jonouchi Katsuya shot himself in his right lung two nights ago, dying only minutes later. The cause for this suicide? His father, Jonouchi Ario, has been abusing him while on alcohol for the past three weeks. Someone who once was sober, who once was in rehabilitation, fell into the vicious cycle of alcoholism once more. Katsuya, apparently, had enough. He took the gun his father was firing at him and shot himself. It's not quite sure if it was intentional or not, but from what we know, Katsuya's fingerprints were on the gun._

_            Police and investigators are now looking into this case, wondering if maybe this abuse has happened before. "It doesn't make sense for Jonouchi to randomly start attacking his son after rehab," One specialist says. "It doesn't add up. From what we've looked into, he's never really laid a finger on Katsuya." Unfortunately, before his death, Katsuya did go through much mental torment, since he left middle school. Ario is now being held at the police station, his trial coming soon._

_            "If more evidence that he has abused Katsuya more, or even his daughter, Jonouchi Shizuka, arises, he could be sentenced to many years – to life in prison," Says Nitatito Rietta. "It's too bad we couldn't do this before it was too late."_

Jonouchi stared at the article. Otogi had moved on since he read it, running his finger down the page of a large book. But Jonouchi couldn't remove his eyes from it. There was a picture as well; his apartment, flooded with searchlights, broken windows, debris littering the floor. He froze when he saw the trails of dark, lethal blood on the floor, leading down the hallway. A small picture of himself, taken in school, was featured, with the caption beneath it saying _Jonouchi Katsuya, two months before the abuse started. _Beside his picture was Shizuka's. _Jonouchi Shizuka, sixteen years old. It's been stated that Ario may have abused his daughter as well, although Shizuka herself denies it._

            "Shizuka," he whispered. He looked up to speak to Amane, but the beauty had dispersed once more. Jonouchi sighed.

            "Otogi," he said, louder this time. Otogi looked up, his eyes wide, looking for the source of his discomfort. He could have _sworn_ he felt something… Strange…

            Jonouchi covered his mouth.

            _I forgot,_ he thought to himself. _My friends can sense me._ Taking a breath, he carefully stepped closer to Otogi, skimming the papers thrown onto the table. It took him awhile, but Jonouchi eventually realized what Otogi was doing.

            He was trying to get something for his family. It wasn't quite clear to Jonouchi, but from what he read of Otogi's papers, and the notes he jotted down in his notebook, apparently, if sent to jail with more then one abuse case, his mother and sister could get custody of all the money and possessions they owned.

            Jonouchi's heart leapt with joy. They _needed_ that money! Very badly!

            "Yes," Otogi whispered, a smile spreading across his face. "I knew it. I _knew_ it!" He dropped the book, the book landing with a loud thud. Otogi leaned forward, his hands on the table, breathing hard. Trying to hold himself up.

            "Yes, dammit, yes!" he said, smiling at the table. Jonouchi stared at him. "Now, I just have to tell Mrs. Jonouchi…" He flopped down in a chair, exhausted. Jonouchi frowned.

            "Otogi," he said, trying to get Otogi to sense him. "Get some rest. You can't prove your case without sleeping…" he trailed off. Otogi wasn't listening, anyway.

            Annoyed, Jonouchi marched over to Otogi. He was slumped down in the chair, staring at the floor.

            "Otogi Ryuji, I _command_ you to-" he placed his hand on Otogi's shoulder. Otogi's head rolled to the side. His eyes were closed, his breathing slow. Jonouchi jumped back in surprise.

            He had fallen asleep.

_Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me.~ Carol Burnett_

            Otogi's eyes fluttered open. He moved slightly, trying to ease his aching muscles. He was lying on his back on his couch, still clad in his uniform. It was dark out; night had fallen while he slept.

            "Oh - shit - " he muttered, rolling off the couch. He hit the rug, then he sat up, shaking his head. He couldn't remember what he got done, if he even got anything done. Sighing, he stood up, wobbling. How long had he been asleep? He wasted valuable time to help Shizuka by sleeping! What a waste!

            "Damn," he muttered, wobbling over to the table. Jonouchi watched him. He had figured that Otogi was trying to get this information before the trial, so his father could be thrown behind bars. Otogi held himself up, smiling down at the table.

            "I _know_ there's _something_ I can use against him tomorrow," Otogi said to no one, shuffling papers around. "I just don't know what..." Jonouchi stood up, walking over to the table. 

            _Tomorrow,_ Jonouchi thought to himself. _If the trial is tomorrow...__ How long has Otogi been working on this?_ Otogi's eyelids drooped. He was _extremely_ tired, but he wasn't gonna stop. He had only roughly... Otogi checked his watch. Thirteen hours! He only had thirteen hours until the trial began. Angry at himself, Otogi opened another large volume, training his eyes over it.

            "Otogi, cut it out," Jonouchi ordered, not that Otogi paid much attention to him. Jonouchi sighed, realizing that nothing he said would dissuade him. Even if Jonouchi was still alive. It wouldn't matter to Otogi at all.

            "Dammit, I… There has to be something… The only way…" Otogi muttered to himself. Jonouchi raised his eyebrows, wondering what he could be talking about. A loud knock sounded on the door.

            "Otogi Ryuji, open up _right now…_" a voice growled outside. Jonouchi looked around Otogi to the front door.

            "Come in," Otogi called weakly. "It's open." Honda's figure walked into the kitchen, closely followed by the figure of someone he didn't know. A girl.

            _Heh__, I wonder who she is…_ Jonouchi thought, smiling. Honda stepped into the light, followed by a girl with dark hair and blue eyes. He recognized her as one of those really smart people. The ones who ranked up there with Kaiba on intelligence.

            _Damn,_ Jonouchi thought. _She's pretty._ Teishou stepped past Honda.

            "Otogi," Honda said, hands in his pockets. "Teishou tells me you're still working on this."

            "…Yes, I am…"

            "Otogi, please," Teishou begged. "Why don't you get some rest?" Otogi sighed. Honda stepped forwards, placing his hands on Otogi's shoulders.

            "Otogi-kun," he said, staring into his face. "You can't help Shizuka at all if you're weak, tired and unfocused. Get some rest." Otogi slammed his fists onto the table.

            "Damn it!" he cried, turning to Honda. Jonouchi stepped back, not that he was in any harm at all. "Honda, I don't have enough proof yet!"

            "Proof of what?" Teishou asked timidly. "Otogi, I know you want to get that money for Shizuka and her mother, but if there is no other record of abuse…"

            "There is, I _know_ it!" Otogi said, his shoulders shaking. Honda knew what this was about.

            "You know, working yourself to death isn't gonna help at all," Honda said softly. Teishou squeezed her hands together. Otogi looked up at her.

            "How do you know where I live?"

            "Baka, I was on my way here," Honda said, looking at the articles. "Whoa, you did all this in the past four days? Wow…"

            "Otogi-kun," Teishou said, "How did you think this up?" Otogi sighed.

            "I thought this up when I found _that_ article," he said, pointing at the one Jonouchi had read. Jonouchi chuckled to himself.

            _Trying to be the hero, ne, Otogi?_ Jonouchi thought to himself. _You're wasting your time. My dad has never laid a finger on Shizuka. Sorry._

            …Wait… Jonouchi blinked, straightening up. A scene had flashed through his head, a spurting memory from the past… It involved Shizuka… Jonouchi held his head, a little confused. So far, Otogi wasn't the only one who had broken down over his death. Instead, he worked himself, trying to be the hero for Shizuka.

            "I want to help," Otogi explained. "Jonouchi… He deserves it." Teishou was opening books and shuffling through articles, trying to keep from looking straight at Otogi. "I also want to get all aspects of this."

            "What else is there to know?" Otogi shrugged, holding his head.

            "God dammit, I have a huge headache… Honda?" Honda looked down at his friend. Otogi lifted his head, his face pale.

            "Otogi, how much sleep have you had lately?"

            "Ummm…" Otogi stumbled backwards, Honda catching him.

            "Whoa, tiger. You okay?" Otogi looked up at Honda, a confused look in his eyes.

            "…Honda…"

            "Otogi?" Otogi's eyes closed. He sighed and leaned against Honda. Teishou walked over, moving his hair out of his face.

            "God, he's so tired," Teishou stated. She squatted down to where Otogi was, down near the carpet. His dark eyes opened, settling on Teishou. She gently touched his cheek, drawing her finger to his chin. She bit her lower lip, watching him intently.

            "His mind is so worn…" Teishou muttered. She stood. "Umm, Honda, I think he shouldn't go to the trial tomorrow." Honda sighed.

            "He doesn't have a choice. He promised Shizuka…" Teishou helped Honda prop Otogi up. They carried him back into the living room, dropping him softly onto the couch. Otogi's arm fell off the couch, his fingers barely skimming the floor.

            "He can't do it," Teishou said softly. "It's too close, not enough info is known…" Honda sighed as he fell into a chair. Jonouchi was standing right beside it, and he slipped away quickly, so that Honda wouldn't notice his presence. Jonouchi looked from his tired, sleeping friend to his dazed-looking one, staring at the ceiling.

            "Sorry, Jonouchi-kun," Honda said in a soft voice. Teishou looked up at him, sitting on the floor. She stood up, wandering over to the table behind the couch. Jonouchi followed, watching her close books, stack papers, and position them carefully and neatly. She was crying, her tears dripping onto the table. Jonouchi touched the tear gently, and was surprised to find he could feel it. It was wet, and strangely heavy for a tiny drop of salty water. He prodded it again, wondering why in heaven's name he could feel it.

            He half expected Amane to appear, explaining this phenomenon.

            She didn't.

            "…Otogi can't help your sister," Honda said, staring at the ceiling. He looked down at his hands. "No one can. We tried; we failed. Sorry, bud." Teishou dropped the last book on top of the stack, her fragile emotions bubbling up.

            "Not all stories end with happy endings," she stated. No one answered.

            "…I wish this one would…" Jonouchi whispered.

* * *

Awww… Poor Otogi…

Weird ending, I know, but I wasn't sure how to continue… So I ended it in failure. LOL! Anyway… I've already typed the next chap, and the last one. I just have two more chaps to type, and then put the next five up. Yay!

_++++Next Chap+++++_

_Shizuka feels scared, lost and alone without Jonouchi there. She stays concealed in her room after her father's trial, for three days. However, it isn't only her brother's death and her father's trial that drove her into her depression... An incident from the past that may imprison their father for good._

_Chapter Six: Concrete Angel_

**Shibby****-One**


	7. Chapter Six: Concrete Angel

Hey, did anyone watch the Grammy's? If you did, right at the beginning, one of the performers was Martina McBride, and she sang 'Concrete Angel'!! So, if yall heard it, you know how pretty it is... Usually, where I'll have random quotes and/or asterisks [*] as page breaks, I have some of the more sad and beautiful lines of the song. They're all from 'Concrete Angel', performed by Martina McBride, not mine. Unfortunetly, this song goes well with this chap... If you can, listen to 'Concrete Angel' while reading this. I listened to it while typing. Thank you~  
**Warning: tear jerker.**

**_Chapter Six: Concrete Angel_**

****

****She was the worst.

          Jonouchi Shizuka.

          Shizuka was lying on her bed, her head resting on her pillow. Her eyes were red, her hair was a mess, her face tear-stained. She looked white as a ghost, with a sickly look to her. She hadn't left her room since she had returned home from the hearing her father had. 

          That had been about three days. And nothing anyone did would pull her out of it.

          "Please, there must be _something_ you can do," Akari begged to her doctor. The doctor shook her head sadly.

          "This is something she's going through, Akari. She'll come out of it in a day or so." But that wasn't true. Shizuka had locked her door, and refused to eat anything. She occasionally came out to get a drink every once in awhile, and to use the bathroom, but besides that, she stayed in there all day. Her friends at school all wondered about her, and Honda was always growing worried. Shizuka lay in a stupor, almost in a trance. Her eyes were lifeless, all the color and light drained, two deep, empty voids. She had a photo of Jonouchi in his school uniform in her hand, crumpled. 

          Amane rippled into view, standing beside the white blankets and the frilly comforter that decorated Shizuka's bed. She stepped forwards, placing her fingers on the bedspread.

          "Shizuka," she whispered. She placed her hand on Shizuka's shoulder, her eyes glazing over. Amane lowered her body to the floor, now kneeling. Her eyes glazed over, her emotions fell from her features. It was almost if she were a computer searching for lost data.

          Jonouchi appeared in the room, hands in his pockets, blood dripping from her face. He wasn't bleeding from any open wound; his tears had run from water to thick, dark blood. He stared at her, shaking his head.

          Shizuka sniffed, closing her empty eyes. Jonouchi knew why she was like this. It wasn't just because of Jonouchi's death.

          It was their father's imprisonment. Shizuka was hiding a secret in her heart, one that she only told Jonouchi when they were both very little. He was sure - no, _positive_ - that this secret was why Shizuka was so depressed. Her eyes began to tear once more, squeezing the photo as tightly as she could.

          "Tousan," she whispered. "Oniichan..." Amane blinked, coming out of her trance. She looked up at Jonouchi and shook her head.

          "I'm sorry," she said in a small voice, removing her hand from Shizuka's shoulder. "I couldn't see far enough to find her problem." Jonouchi shuffled his feet, wiping the blood from his stark-white skin.

          "I think I know," he muttered. Amane raised her eyebrows.

          "You do?" she asked, standing up. Jonouchi nodded, staring at the ground. 

          "I just have to get Shizuka to tell our mother."

_~Wearin' the same dress she wore yesterday. She hides the bruises with linen and lace.~_

_Shizuka swung her legs absently, her skirt just reaching her knees. The swing rocked a bit, the dying sun shining down on her. The little girl stared up at the sky, her tiny fists tightening around the chains._

_          "Shizuka," Jonouchi said, walking over. He sat beside her on a swing, wrapping his elbows around the swing chains. Shizuka cast her eyes to the ground, refusing to look at him. Her eyes teared. Jonouchi leaned forward, staring at her._

_          "Shizuka..." he murmured. "What's wrong?" Shizuka shook her head, her lower lip quivering._

_          "Daddy hates me," she whispered. Jonouchi stared at her, his little-boy facade clouding over with concern._

_          "What? No, he doesn't," Jonouchi tried to assure her of, but she shook her head. She pulled her short sleeve up, so her thin shoulder was exposed. Jonouchi gasped, a momentary chill running through him. A bruise, a bluish-blackish bruise, was on her upper shoulder. Jonouchi took Shizuka's frail arm in his hands, and gently tapped the bruise. Shizuka winced._

_          "Oh... Shizuka, who did this to you?" Jonouchi asked. Shizuka sniffed and refused to say. "Shizuka, please... Did Daddy do this to you?"_ _Again, Shizuka's eyes teared._

_          "He hit me, when I wouldn't come with him," she explained in a quiet voice. "He said he wanted me to try on a dress, but it wouldn't go over my head, so he wanted to help me... I..." she trailed off. She shivered. "I didn't like that. It was.... I told him to let me go, then he hit me." She stared at the ground, her toes dragging in the sand. Jonouchi's mouth opened in shock._

_          "Did you tell Momma?"_

_          "He said he was sorry," Shizuka said. "He's Daddy, but he hates me."_

Amane stared in front of her, not focused on anything. She was thinking.

          "So... Shizuka was physically abused...."

          "And sexually assaulted."

          "God..." Amane shook her magnificent head, her hair astray. "How old was she then?"

          "Six. Maybe seven. I don't remember. It was a few months before they separated, though," Jonouchi explained. He sighed. "I didn't think much of it at the time. I _do_ know that it happened a second time before she left."

          "And your father abused you as well... Physically," Amane noted. Jonouchi closed his eyes, quivering. It pained him to remember. "Mentally as well, from what I heard. You know..." Amane turned to Jonouchi. "If the court hears about this, your father could go to prison for much longer." Jonouchi didn't respond. The same scene, of when Shizuka showed him that ugly bruise replayed in his mind, over and over again, taunting him. Shizuka had never quite gotten over that. He knew. She acted... Differently when he saw her again. Not as outward, not as colorful, not as... Shizuka as the little girl had been.

          "Is there anyone she can talk to?" Amane asked. Jonouchi shrugged.

          "Me... I guess," he answered. "And Honda. She trusts him." Jonouchi seemed to zone out. "She trusts him..." he repeated. Amane nodded.

          "Well," Amane said softly. Jonouchi put his head in his hands, trying to clear his head. He turned around to look at Shizuka once more, his eyes covering her entire body. She sat up, leaning against her headboard and her pillows. She looked over at the window, where the sun was entering. She absently played with her hair, her fingers shaking.

          "Katsuya," she murmured. She looked down at her hands. She closed her eyes, and laid back, resting against the pillows, as if she were to fall asleep. "Katsuya-chan. I'm sorry." Jonouchi's eyes widened in surprise. 

          "Shi... Shizuka," he said, kneeling before her bed. Her arm was laying beside her, her eyes closed, breathing deeply. Jonouchi stared at her, alarmed. He looked down at her hand, and gently placed his transparent hand above hers. He picked her hand up, and turned it over, so her palm was facing him. He then turned to Amane.

          "Why did she fall asleep? She was awake one moment ago," Jonouchi said, turning back to Shizuka. 

          "Malnutrition, I'm guessing," Amane answered. "She hasn't come out of here for a few days." Jonouchi could physically see her veins in her pale arm. It led all the way down to her wrist, where several slashes of dry blood were waiting. Jonouchi's eyes widened in shock and surprise, wearing a face like he had seen something terrifying.

          "Oh my...." Amane said in her soft manner.

          _Shizuka had cut herself._ Jonouchi stared at her.

          "No... No, Shizuka, you can't!" He cried. But Shizuka was either asleep, or had lost consciousness. The situation began to dawn on Amane as being slightly familiar.

          "Wait... How long has she been here?" Amane asked Jonouchi. Jonouchi shrugged.

          "I don't know!" He was panicking. He stood up, dropping her hand, and shook his head, running his hands through his hair.

          "This is all way too much," he said, his tears starting again. Blood trickled down his face as he backed up. 

          _This is finally getting to him,_ Amane thought, running over to him. She placed her hands on his shoulders firmly, staring into his eyes.

          "Jonouchi Katsuya," she ordered, making him round on her. His eyes were filled with fear. "We can still help her. You can still help her. Talk to her." Jonouchi sighed.

          "I can't."

_~Somebody cries in the middle of the night. The neighbors hear, but they turn out the lights. A fragile soul caught in the hands of fate... When morning comes it'll be too late~_

          Akari was speaking to a police officer outside the house.

          "...I don't know what to do," Akari was explaining. "I want Shizuka to talk to me, but the doctor said it would be good for her to sit for awhile. He said that three days ago, officer. Please..." She clasped her hands together, bowing her head, "...Help me."

          "We'll do what we can, Akari," the officer said. Akari looked up, smiling gently.

          "Thank you." Two officers entered the house, walking down the corridor. One was Rietta. The officer that found Jonouchi so many days ago.

          They arrived to Shizuka's room, waiting patiently.

          "Well..." Rietta said, knocking on Shizuka's door. No answer came from within. "Shizuka?"

          "Shizuka," the second officer called, knocking as well, "can we talk to you?"

          No answer.

          "Think she's asleep?" Rietta asked. She grabbed onto the doorknob, turning it gently. She expected it to be locked, and was surprised to find it turned all the way. She pushed open the door, and stepped into the room.

          "Shi - Oh!" Rietta cried, seeing Shizuka on her bed. "Oh... Aiji! Aiji, get someone! Hurry!" She ran over to Shizuka, gently moving the girl's hair out of her face. Shizuka was still sprawled on the bed, sleeping. Or something. Rietta checked her pulse, then made sure she was still breathing. Rietta looked down at her wrists, seeing the old cuts.

          "These are so old..." she said, touching them gently. "She's had them for awhile."

          "Rietta!" Aiji cried, re-entering the room. "An ambulance is coming."

          "Alright," Rietta said. Jonouchi was also standing in the room, his hands in his pockets once more. He knew the problem. 

          Shizuka felt it was _her_ fault that he had committed suicide. That his father abused him to the breaking point. She had been abused when they were little, and if she had said something...

          Instead, she took it out on herself. Amane had disappeared without Jonouchi noticing.

          "Shizuka-chan," he whispered. "Please. Tell someone." A soft whirring sound came from down the street as an ambulance appeared. It roared up to the house, paramedics rushing out with a stretcher. Akari was shaking, an officer talking to her quietly. Jonouchi watched from the window.

          One of the meds came into the room, walking at a brisk pace. He stopped in the doorway, trying to get Rietta's attention.

          "Rietta," he hissed. Rietta turned. "Can you carry her here? We brought the wrong stretcher, and it won't fit." Rietta nodded, and bent down, running her arms underneath Shizuka's body.

          Jonouchi watched the whole thing as if he were watching a movie. When Shizuka's limp body was lifted, the scene seemed to speed up, then slow when everyone was gone. The next thing he knew, he was alone in the room, staring at Shizuka's bed.

          The photo lay crumpled on the floor.

_~But her dreams give her wings, and she flies to a place where she's loved.... Concrete Angel~****_

"She should be fine soon, Miss Jonouchi," a doctor assured Akari a few hours later. Akari nodded, smiling thankfully.

          "Thank you so much, doctor," Akari breathed. The doctor bowed, then walked away. Akari, standing in the doorway on Shizuka's room. The girl hadn't regained consciousness, but she wasn't as pale. A thin tube inserted into her arm fed her nutrients and vitamins, ones she had been lacking for the past few days. Akari sighed, partly angry at herself that she hadn't force Shizuka to come out of the room.

          Jonouchi, invisible to Akari, was sitting beside Shizuka's bed, watching her. He was staring at her right shoulder, where their father had hurt her so many years ago. The bruise was long gone, but the memory of it still haunted him. He couldn't believe he never told anyone about it.

          "Shizuka... Are you okay?" he asked gently. Akari lifted her head and opened her eyes, looking around.

          "Wha..." she muttered. She felt the strange feeling that someone else was in the room...

          Shizuka made a small, high-pitched sound, then turned her head to the side, facing Jonouchi. Her eyes opened. Jonouchi moved back for a second, staring down at her.

          _Can she see me...?_ he wondered, breathing hard. Shizuka stared at him, her large eyes completely lifeless. Her face showed no emotion. However, Akari noticed, and ran over, forcing Jonouchi to step to the side.

          "Oh, oh Shizuka, my girl, you're awake," Akari said, crying to herself. Shizuka smiled a tiny 

smile, her eyes focused on her mother. Those two blue orbs gently went from Akari to Jonouchi, and a bit of light entered them.

          "Oniichan..." she whispered. Jonouchi gasped, biting his lower lip. Akari looked over at where Shizuka was looking, then looked back, smiling.

          "No, no, dear, shh, it's alright...." She leaned over Shizuka soothingly. The blankets were pulled up to Shizuka's shoulders, one of her arms outside of it. Shizuka's eyes remained half-open, her voice weak.

          "Mama... Is Daddy in jail...?"

          "Hopefully, baby," Akari said, her voice barely above a whisper. All was silent in the hospital room, Shizuka lying in the soft, white bed, looking at her scared mother. Jonouchi watched, tears starting in his eyes. He wished, for one moment, he could be alive, so he could go over to her and soothe her, let her know that, even though they were both hurt, they could pull through.

          But Jonouchi hadn't pulled through.

          Shizuka kept her pain and her suffering to herself all these years. She even cut herself long ago.

          "Mama," she said softly. "I have something to tell you." Akari raised her eyebrows. Shizuka looked back over at Jonouchi, the weak girl barely clinging to life. Jonouchi nodded, tears flowing freely. The tears flowed into blood, so he had trails of dark blood, along with clear tears running down his face. Shizuka closed her eyes, then turned to Akari. Jonouchi, for the life of him, could not figure out why Shizuka was so weak...

          "One's mind and body as connected, as well as our souls," Amane's soft voice came to his ears. Jonouchi turned his eyes to see Amane standing beside him. "Her soul has been torn, her mind has been restless with worries of the past, present, and future. Your death, mixed with both of your pasts and worries of the future tore her soul and weakened her mind. Her body reflects it." Jonouchi stared at her in disbelief.

          "No, no she can't! Not Shizuka! listen, Amane," Jonouchi cried, rage getting the better of him. Amane turned to him, slightly amused. "I'm not gonna take it much longer. First Yugi, then Honda, then Anzu, then Ryou, and _then_ Otogi - now Shizuka?! What's happening?" His cheeks red, his body shaking, his anger rising. Amane turned away from him.

          "My death was accidental," she explained softly. "Yours was not. Your friends needed you; you needed them. Without each other, each of you is a puzzle piece, slowly falling apart." Jonouchi stared at her, dumbfounded. He shook his head in disbelief.

          _How is it she knows the Pharaoh's metaphor? [1]_

          He pushed it to the side and glared at her.

          "Why me?" he demanded. "Tell me that. Why me?" Amane shrugged.

          "You were a puzzle piece, Jonouchi. You can't finish a puzzle without all the pieces." Jonouchi didn't want to hear that. He wanted _answers._

          "Amane - !" he said, trying to grab her. She disappeared, Jonouchi reaching for air. He stood, glaring at the spot where she stood.

          "Amane..."

          "What do you want to tell me, Shizuka?" Akari asked. Jonouchi turned back. He forgot about the on-going story of his beloved sister. Shizuka cleared her throat, and began to cry. It started with two tears, and then steadily became small sobs. The doctor was passing by, when he stopped, noticing Shizuka's sobs.

          "Shizuka, Shizuka, what is it? Tell me," Akari pleaded gently. The doctor stopped to listen. Rietta was behind him, listening as well. Shizuka wiped her eyes, and turned her head - still resting on the pillow - to face her mother.

          "It's about Daddy," she said softly. Akari's eyes widened.

          "What is it, darling? What about Daddy?" she asked softly. Shizuka sighed deeply.

          "He... He hit me. A long time ago." Akari gasped, horrified.

          "He.... He did?" she stammered. Rietta's eyes widened, and the doctor raised his eyebrows to her. Shizuka nodded, tears still rolling down her face.

          "He.... He also...." her hand was shaking, and Akari grasped it.

          "Come on, Shizuka," Jonouchi coached. "You can do it." Shizuka took a breath and continued.

          "He hit me several times, and he sexually abused me as well," she said in a small voice. Akari closed her eyes and brought Shizuka's hand to her lips, kissing her hand.

          "Oh... Shizuka, when was this...?"

          "Right before the divorce." Akari began to cry as well. She lowered her head to the bed, crying. Shizuka watched, still looking like she could die any moment. Akari raised her head, shaking.

          "Oh my God...."

          "Oniichan knows," Shizuka whispered. Akari looked at her, wiping her face.

          "He did?"

          "He does," Shizuka corrected. Her voice sounded strained.

          "Call the police," the doctor whispered to Rietta.

          "I _am_ the police," she whispered back.

          "Call more."

          "Honey... How does Katsuya...." she sighed. "Shizuka..."

          "He helped me," she whispered, relaxing her shoulders. "He's my angel, and he helped me. He told me you wouldn't get mad at me." Jonouchi smiled, a joyous smile unlike any other he had shown in a long time. Shizuka's thin hand wrapped around Akari's. The machine she was attached to began to beep, but it was so soft, no one noticed it. 

          "Oh, Shizuka..." Akari said, smiling amid her tears. Shizuka closed her eyes, squeezing Akari's hand. Jonouchi stared at her, the smile still across his face, his tears turning from blood to water once more.

          "Mama," she whispered, her eyes still closed. Akari looked up.

          "Yes?"

          "Is it okay if..."

          "What, Shizuka? Anything," Akari said, both her hands clinging Shizuka's. Shizuka opened her eyes and looked at her mother.

          "Is it okay if I be Daddy's angel?" she whispered. Akari smiled, biting her lower lip, hands shaking.

          "Yes, Shizuka. You can."

          "And Oniichan yours?"

          "....Yes...." Shizuka smiled, and closed her eyes. Her body relaxed, her heartbeat slowing. Jonouchi smiled at his sister. She was so beautiful, he thought. Even in death she still loved her father.

          Akari clung to Shizuka, never letting her go. Not until Shizuka's still hand grew cold as ice.

          Jonouchi smiled, shaking, falling to his knees.

          _....She deserves it,_ he thought. _Only an angel could be that beautiful..._

*****

          On her gravestone, words were written straight from Akari's heart.

          **_~*Jonouchi Shizuka, the fallen angel*~  
_**_          The world wasn't meant for one as beautiful as you.****_

She was right next to Jonouchi.__

*****

          _A statue stands in a shaded place  
          An angel girl with an upturned face  
          A name is written on a polished rock  
          A broken heart that the world forgot...._

_          Through the wind and the rain  
          She stands hard as a stone  
          In a world that she can't rise above  
          But her dreams give her wings  
          And she flies to a place where she's loved....._

_          ....Concrete angel..._

* * *

  


**~ ~Footnotes~ ~**

**[1] Pharaoh's metaphor: **a metaphor from another fic, called _Learn to Live_. It's not up on FF.net, it was written by a dear friend, and the pharaoh uses the Puzzle metaphor.

* * *

  


**Chap Preview:**

_Mai comes back to __Japan__ to visit all her friends. Especially to see Jonouchi again. But when she finds out that he died, and she sees what's happening to all of them, she does the only thing she can. She holds a front. She becomes a solid wall._

_…But even walls can break…_

_Chapter Eight: Courageous Girl with a Heart of Glass_

* * *

  


This chap was dedicated to all the people out there who are victims of child abuse. Or abuse of any kind. Yes, I _was_ listening to 'Concrete Angel' while writing, could ya tell? I first heard this song when I read my friend's fic, entitled _Concrete Angel._ It's on my favorite's list. It's about Shizuka. It's based after the music video, which is why her mother is the abuser, not her dad. It was written by my friend Missy. Her name is 'Black Mistress'

This is the first time a chapter I wrote made me cry.

_Never give up~_****

**Shibby-One**


	8. 7: Courageous Girl with a Heart of Glass

Mai is coming to visit Japan, and she has no idea that joey's dead. Yea. Also, for yall who read Be mine, Valentine? it's almost a drop-off from that. Read and you'll find out^_^

**_Chapter Seven: Courageous Girl with a Heart of Glass_**

****

****"All passengers, please locate your luggage in the overhead compartments before landing." The mechanical voice sounded overhead, signaling to Mai that they would be landing soon. Her excitement was building greatly, almost giddy. She couldn't wait to visit them all again. Mai stared out the window, Tokyo airport coming into view. It was a sunny, clear day, and she was planning on surprising her friends with a visit. It had only been a few months...

          She sat back in her chair. The _last_ time she came here, it had been Valentine's Day, and she and Jonouchi had shared a kiss... Mai longed for that same kiss once more.

          The plane descended. It scraped the runway, coasting to a stop eventually. Mai grabbed her bags, eager to disembark into the city of Tokyo. She planned on catching a train to Domino, just in time for the high school to let out. She would surprise them by showing up there...

          She could just see their faces. As she walked around Tokyo airport, she grabbed her one lone suitcase, and stepped out into the warm sun, the wind picking up her long hair.

          "Ahh, Tokyo," she said, smiling. She briskly began walking down the steps of the airport, heading towards the train station. Jonouchi was standing behind her, in the crowded station, freaking some people who were sensitive out.

          "Do you feel that?"

          "Yeah..." Mai stopped walking, turning around. Jonouchi appeared beside her. She turned her head, her hair billowing, facing Jonouchi.

          "....Hello...?" she called tentatively. Jonouchi stared at her face, seeing her joy and her laughter in her eyes. Jonouchi felt as if his heart had been torn out and stomped on. By cows. And horses. His friends were in so much pain, his sister just died... Now, someone he loved terribly would get her heart broken.

          "Mai..." Jonouchi whispered, reaching out to her. His finger grazed her cheek, running down it. He could feel her soft skin under his fingertip.

          _If you feel a powerful emotion, then you can have physical contact with a person or a thing. _Amane's voice ran through his mind. Right now, he reached out with his hand as well as his heart, wishing he could give his heart to her. Mai put her hand on her cheek, shivering.

          "....Is someone there...." she said, not really asking. She looked at her fingers, then gingerly began walking again, leaving Jonouchi there.

          "No.... Mai... Come back," he pleaded to her retreating back. "Don't go there... I don't want you to get hurt."

*****

          Mai never occurred to him when he made his final decision in his life. The decision to take his life. The love he felt for her hadn't been apparent in his heart at that precise moment. Maybe, if he had thought of her and the others besides himself, she wouldn't get hurt. And Yugi wouldn't be suicidal. Anzu wouldn't be crazy. And Shizuka wouldn't be dead.

          Jonouchi watched her, shaking. He was so sick of seeing people he loved get hurt and beaten down, and he couldn't even touch them. He was sick of the blood, the blood he shed while he cried. He was sick of the pain and the ignorance and the solitude.

          He thought his life sucked. He should have looked closer into theirs.

          "Mai... I'm sorry," he pleaded, falling to his knees. He put his face in his hands, his shoulders heaving. For the first time in what seemed like a lifetime, Jonouchi shed tears. Not for himself, but for the people he loved. He sobbed into his hands, shaking like a leaf, in too much pain to imagine Mai's reaction to the news of his death.

          "... I won't put her through that pain again," Jonouchi whispered. "I vowed never to leave her alone. Now she is." She shook his head, leaning forwards, his fists hitting the pavement. Where did he go wrong? Suicide had seemed like the sure way out. He never expected to be watching his friends and seeing what went on 'behind closed doors and sound barriers'...

          "Do you see now?" Amane said, kneeling beside him. Jonouchi looked up, sniffing.

          "See what?" he asked, his voice choked. "I see what a bitch I was." Amane shrugged.

          "That's one way of looking at it, I guess." She looked over to the train station, seeing Mai wait for the next train. "Do you like her?"

          "...Like her?" Jonouchi said, looking up. "Hell, I _love_ her." Amane looked taken aback.

          "...Oh... Did you even think of her when you died?"

          "No," Jonouchi admitted. "And I didn't think of Yugi, or Honda, or Anzu or Otogi or Ryou... Or Shizuka," he said, his tears beginning fresh again. "I never thought of _any_ of them." His hands shook violently, his tears disappearing before hitting the ground. "Shizuka... Damn it all!" He cried, pounding the ground with his fist. "I hate this!" Amane put her hands on Jonouchi's shoulders.

          "I've had to live like this for two years," she explained softly. "How do you think I feel?" Jonouchi looked over at her, taking deep breaths. "I've watched Ryou since he came here. Every second of his life."

          "So... You know...."

          "About Bakura? Yes, I do," Amane said, looking out at the city. "I was confused, I didn't understand, but then I came to realize that some things just weren't meant to be explained or to make sense.... It's all what you believe in," she said, turning back to him. Jonouchi nodded. Amane leaned close to Jonouchi's face, nearly nose to nose.

          "Do you believe in heaven, Jonouchi Katsuya?" she asked in a whisper. Jonouchi nodded solemnly. "Shizuka did."

          "And I'll see her there once this is over," Jonouchi answered back. "First, I have to watch Mai. I have to protect her. I love her."

_~Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend. - Albert Camus~_

Stepping off the train, Mai sat down on a bench in Domino Station, drinking from a bottle of water. She down half the bottle, her excitement building.

          "Ohh, I can't wait to see them again," she breathed to herself, smiling broadly. Her eyes traveled around the wide station, a place she hadn't been in awhile. She saw people walking around, talking to each other about the latest news. Mai was just sitting, waiting for the right time. She was earlier then expected; her flight had been earlier then expected, so she had about forty minutes to kill. She wasn't due at her apartment for another twenty minutes.

          "...Yeah, the Jonouchi trial was huge..." Someone said as they passed. Mai looked up. The man who said that sat down, possibly with his daughter beside Mai. Mai looked the other way, but kept her ears open.

          "It's scary to think about," the girl said, taking the news article from her father. "That Jonouchi guy is such a bitch. Why would he beat his son?" Mai's heart skipped a beat. 

          _Jonouchi?_ she thought. _Surely not the same person... Right?_ The man sighed.

          "He was on alcohol, Mari," he said, putting his hand on her arm. She looked up at him.

          "That's terrible. Poor Katsuya..."

          Mai's heart stopped. She turned slowly towards the two.

          "Umm, excuse me, may I see that?" she asked in a strangely calm voice. The man handed it over. It was the local paper, with a small article about Jonouchi. Jonouchi's picture was next to the article. Mai stared in disbelief. She skimmed over the article, key words popping out at her.

          _Abuse - alcohol - beatings - guns - suicide - death - _Mai couldn't believe it. Her jaw dropped a bit, and she quickly closed it back up.

          "Thank you," Mai said, handing it back. The man looked at her quizzically as she held her head, her face in one of shocking.

          "Amazing, isn't it?" the man said, turning to Mari. "What drugs will do to people." Mai nodded.

          "What happened to the boy? It didn't say..."

          "He shot himself," Mari said softly. "Maybe a week and a half ago. I think a little more. Right, Daddy?" she said, looking at the man. The man shrugged.

          Mai stood, picking up her bag.

          "Thank you," she said, her heart breaking into two. She briskly left the station. As soon as she reached outside, the warm air hitting her face, she broke into a run, her tears flowing down her face like an open dam.

*****

          Jonouchi watched Mai as she sat on her bed, pulling her boots off. She had picked up a paper, set on reading it. Jonouchi sat down beside her on the bed, watching her face as she looked over the article.

          "My God," she whispered. She shook her head, disbelief setting in. "No, it can't be.... Jonouchi...." She turned the page, her eyes fluttering over the article. Jonouchi read it as well, leaning so close to Mai he could almost touch her.

          _Two and a half weeks ago, Jonouchi Katsuya of __Domino City__, __Japan__, shot himself in his right lung after being abused by his father, Jonouchi Ario. Jonouchi was imprisoned after a trial, pleading guilty to multiple physical and mental abuse. In the past week, new evidence has arisen from his daughter, Jonouchi Shizuka, that he physically and sexually abused her when she was younger, before her parents were divorced. Jonouchi Shizuka died on Friday of last week, cremated and buried on Sunday of this week. She told her mother right before she died about the abuse, something she had been harboring for nine years. She said she had told her brother, Katsuya, at the time it happened. Neither of them spoke about it for nine years._

_          It's a sad thing that it took the deaths of his two children to bring him to light, to tell police of his misconduct. Although he was under the influence of alcohol, many times he was not drunk at all when he attacked Katsuya, of when he yelled at him. His second trial awaits him soon._

_          In the Takajuri cemetery, the city both Katsuya and Shizuka were born in, they're buried side-by-side, their deaths only a ten days apart. Before her death, Shizuka said that her brother was her 'angel', and he 'told' her that their mother wouldn't get mad. Shizuka was very adored by people, with her kind manner, and her good looks. Apparently, she had a big heart, because she asked her mother if she could 'be Daddy's angel' before she died. Even in death her father still means the world to her._

Jonouchi raised his eyebrows. Mai stared at the article, dumbfounded. Her jaw dropped, her eyes teared. Jonouchi gulped, almost afraid to make a sound.

          "Jou… Jonouchi…" she whispered, her voice wavering. Jonouchi winced, her pain being his pain. It was so painful to see her like this. She lay on her back on the bed, dropping the article, her hair askew. Jonouchi looked down at her. She was so beautiful… He just wanted to put his arms around her in a soft embrace… His heart ached. It was nearly as painful as when he had to watch Shizuka die before his very eyes. Mai's tears slid down her cheeks, leaving little trails on her delicate features.

          "Jonouchi…" she whispered, her voice strained. "What happened…? I didn't even get to see you again." Jonouchi gasped a gasp of pain. He hadn't even though of seeing her again. He didn't realize how much he longed for her, how much he wanted to kiss her again until he couldn't.

          "Mai-san," he said, laying down beside her. His arm looked white next to her flesh-colored arm, making him realize the situation so much more. He turned onto his side, reaching up and gently touching her cheek. She gasped, opening her eyes. She pushed herself up a bit, her lower lip quivering, her eyes surprised and scared.

          "W-who's there?" she whispered. It was hardly heard in the large apartment. She lay back down, not caring. She just wanted Jonouchi back. 

          "No, I won't believe it," she said to herself, squeezing her eyes tightly. "Jonouchi cannot be dead. He couldn't have killed himself. His friends love him to much… I love him to much… Jonouchi," she moaned, sitting up. Jonouchi watched, sitting up himself. She balled her hands into fists, settling them on her thighs. "Jonouchi… Please…" She shook her magnificent head and stood, running to the balcony of her apartment. She ran to the edge, leaning over, looking down.

          Jonouchi's heart leapt into his chest.

          _Mai…_ he thought, alarmed. He stood. She wouldn't do anything to rash, would she? As rash as… Jumping?

          No, she wouldn't, Jonouchi decided as she slid to her knees, the city winds blowing at her body.

          "Jonouchi-kun…" she whimpered, her tears blocking her voice. "Please come to me. Tell me it isn't true. Not Shizuka either. What about your friends?" Jonouchi shook his head.

          "I doubt it would be any different," he said softly, "If I were still alive."

_~Death is more universal than life; everyone dies but not everyone lives. – A. Sachs~_

Yugi sat against the cold, iron bars that made up the fence dividing the world of the living from the world of the dead. With his back to the cemetery, he stared out at the street, letting the sun shine down on him and the wind blow his jacket around. He pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his chin in them, closing his eyes in solitude.

          He was all alone. He just sat there, wishing he could enter the cemetery but not moving. It was too hard for him to face it.

          It had been one month since Jonouchi's death. Yugi still hadn't completely grasped the fact that he was gone. 

          Cars roared by, leaving small trails of dust. The sun shone through them, making them glitter.'

          "Jonouchi.... Shizuka..." he whispered. He straightened out his legs and stood up, holding onto the iron bars. He tightened his grip on the bars, his arms shaking as he cast his eyes down the hill to where Jonouchi's ashes were buried. Sun was rippling through the trees, the leaves sparking lovely patterns of golden sunlight.

          One solitary ray landed half way on the granite marker placed in the ground that bore Jonouchi's name. Yugi took a deep breath, and opened the gate.

          He had to face it at _some_ time.

          He walked down the hill with the long, green, wet grass, slipping occasionally. He was almost in a trance, staring down at the pair of markers that signified where both Jonouchi's remains lie. He eventually made it down there, arriving before the two stones. The kanji, although written small, seemed to blast volumes all over the world.

          _Look, look! Look at what happens every single Goddamned day all over the world,_ it shouted at Yugi. He stood before it, staring down, his eyes wide with tears.

          His trance broke. His knees hit the grass, his face crumpled into his arms, and he broke down. His tears were warm on his hands, soaking his cheeks and his sleeves and his hands. His body shook,  his tears flowed faster. He was breathing so hard, he thought his lungs would collapse.

          Every emotion possibly felt by a human being he was feeling at that moment.

          "Jou... Jonouchi..." he whispered, his words chopped. He fell onto his stomach, crying into the grass, his shoulders heaving, his breaths coming in great gasps. His heart felt pained and twisted and pulled, his body felt worn out and tired.

          He just wanted to sleep and never come awake again. The full caliber of Jonouchi's death fell onto him, suffocating him. He felt rage, anger, hate, sorrow... Every emotion all wrapped into one.

          He lifted his head and yelled, using the last of his breath and his anger. He dropped his head, sniffling, shaking, crying. He grasped onto the stone before him, his soaking hands slipping. He felt dizzy, weak, and a bit tired... Yugi lifted his head and his upper body, his tears still flying down his face. He had raged after Jonouchi's funeral, destroying everything he could lift. Luckily, that wasn't much... But his emotions built over time.

          "Jonouchi," he whispered. He ran his fingers through the kanji, feeling the crevices as they dipped in and out... His tears had cascaded to a stop.

          "Yugi!" a voice called, making him turn. Mai was walking, the newspaper clutched in her hands. Her body was encased in the sunlight, along with the two markers in the cemetery. Yugi turned to partially face her.

          "Mai..." he whispered, wiping his face on his sleeve. But Mai paid no attention as she stepped closer. The markers came into view. Her violet eyes were alight with terror and pain, her body completely stiff, her hands still clutching the news article. 

          Jonouchi was right behind her. After crying for what seemed like years, she cried herself into sleep. When she had awoken that morning, she had seemed to be in a daze, wondering where the others were. She saw an article in a magazine about Anzu. She heard from Doctor Mazaki about Ryou. She heard from Honda about Yugi. What shocked her the most was Yugi. How could someone so upbeat and cheerful suddenly not care about his work? His friends? His life?

          But, most importantly, she came to see if what she learned was true. Jonouchi's heart broke, and blood began trickling down his face. He fell to his knees, like Yugi, and just stared at Mai's shocked face. She slowly walked over to where Yugi was kneeling, and fell to her knees with a thud. It was loud and sounded like it hurt, but she paid no attention as she reached out and touched the stone with Shizuka's name on it.

          "Shizuka... Jonouchi...." she whispered. Yugi looked from the stones to Mai, then back again. Neither of them said anything while Jonouchi stood behind them, blood cascading down his body. It covered his face, his arms, his chest, his legs. It trickled off him like a curse, a curse showing his true feelings. He looked around, wondering if Amane would pop up somewhere. She didn't. He turned his attention back to Mai, although every time he set his sights on her, his heart seemed to tear more.

          "...He's been gone for one month," Yugi said in a soft, choked voice. Mai turned to him, jerking herself out of her trance.

          "W-what?" she stammered. "He has...?" Yugi nodded, eyes closed, hands into fists.

          "....Is it true...?"

          "About his father? Yes," Yugi said, turning to Mai with saddened eyes. Mai stared into them, being entranced into the sadness he held. It was like staring into two deep, dark oceans... Falling off a large, sharp cliff into a deep abyss...

          Just like Yugi. She stared into his eyes, seeing him fall, fall fall fall... Fall into the darkness of his own sorrow and soul. Mai's lower lip quivered. Her eyes teared, her head turned, her hair falling over her shoulders. Jonouchi was crying, staring down at her, smiling, seeing how beautiful she was...

          "Mai," he said, trying to catch her attention. She cast her eyes around, then looked back down, a tear sliding down her cheek.

          _She heard me, _Jonouchi thought. Mai tapped Jonouchi's stone, reading the words etched into stone forever. Secretly, in her heart, she had always thought that... That her own tombstone...

          ...It would read _Jonouchi Mai_...

*****

          "Bastard," Mai muttered, retreating her arm. Yugi turned to her.

          "His father?"

          "Son of a bitch," she said, shaking her head, baring her teeth. Jonouchi chuckled, the blood becoming thicker, darker. His own bloody curse.

          "...Jonouchi," Yugi muttered once more. He stood, staring down at Mai. She was leaning forward, her hand partially extended, as if she wanted to grab onto something reassuring and strong.

          "Mai?" Yugi asked lightly. She didn't answer. Yugi turned and left, still sniffling, wiping his tears. Jonouchi fell into his place, kneeling beside Mai. He reached out his hand, and gently touched her shoulder. His hand reached through her.

          "Damn," he muttered. A hand found it's way onto his shoulder.

          "You have to feel one strong, powerful emotion for it to work," Amane whispered into his ear. Jonouchi jumped, spinning around quickly. 

          "God, Amane," he said, smiling somewhat. "Don't _do_ that." Amane looked down at her hands.

          "I'm sorry," she whispered. Jonouchi sighed and turned back to Mai. She was staring at the markers, tears silently slipping down her cheeks. Jonouchi's jaw dropped.

          In all the years he had known her, he had never once seen her cry. He reached out, his fingers lingering right beside her cheek. His heart sped up, making him more nervous. Amane disappeared.

          "Mai..." he whispered, setting his hand on her cheek. It seemed as if the only thing he could feel was his love for her. His fingertips gently touched her cheek. He could feel her warm skin beneath his fingers. Mai turned, her eyes wide and afraid. They sparked with surprise, and her mouth dropped open.

_~Sometimes, being heartbroken is the only way to discover who you truly love.~_

          Jonouchi was kneeling beside her. His hair picked up by the wind, his indigo uniform rustled. The sun was shining on both of them, him with a golden look. Mai stared in disbelief.

          "Jonouchi...." She whispered. His hand touched her cheek. He brought his face closer to hers, his nose touching hers. She took a breath, staring. "How..." Jonouchi silenced her with his finger. He brought his lips to hers...

          He kissed her. She was taken by surprise, but it was just like she remembered, just like she yearned for. It was almost like everything that had happened, hadn't happened. Her heart leaped. It was such a soft, reassuring kiss, one that made her feel special. More elegant and angelic then she ever felt before. She just wanted to stay wrapped into the passionate kiss, staying safe in his arms. She grabbed his wrists, holding tightly, her hands shaking. He pulled away from her, nose to nose once more.

          "Mai," he said in a whispered voice. "I'm sorry." Mai just stared, smiling.

          "Jonouchi--" she started, but soon the grip he had on her wrist faded. She looked down to see his hand gone. "Jonouchi - !" She looked up.

          He was gone. 

          Mai touched her lips gently, wondering if she just imagined the kiss. No. The taste of it lingered, making her smile. The wind picked up her hair, and blew it back. The golden rays seemed to shine just on her. She was so happy...

          Wait. He said 'I'm sorry'. Did he...

          "Does he love me?" Mai asked in a small voice. She shook her head in disbelief and turned back to the marker. She touched it, running her fingers over it. 

          "...I love you...." she whispered, bowing her head. Her hair fell in front of her eyes. She brushed it back, her tears falling again. "I love you, and you go and die...." Her voice began to waver. Her tears became more. "P-please.... If you love me... Come back..."

          Trees rustled. The sun seemed to blink at her, confused.

          Jonouchi stood behind her, shaking. He had only felt her for a moment. But he knew he had really kissed her. It had been so sweet, so soft... He hadn't wanted it to end. But he was fading, his body dispersing into the wind... His time had been limited.

          "Mai," he said. She took no notice of his presence, crying onto his marker. "I love you, too."

          She didn't hear.

*********************************************************************************

hmmmm..... not as good as I hoped... oh well. Poor poor mai... i absolutely love JoeyMai. One of my fav couples^_^

So... plz review! this fic has only 3 more chaps to go. Tata~

**Shibby****-One**


	9. Chapter Eight: Back to the Game Shop

Shibby: okay, "Concrete Angel" is currently stuck in mah brain AGAIN... sooooo.... what's gonna happen to Yugi-kun? OMG!  
Yugi: dont kill me....  
Joey: hey, im dead here too!  
Tea: *slaps joey* no one likes you  
Joey: ;_;

**.**

**_Chapter Eight: Back to the Game Shop_**

**_._**

**_._**

****

          Today was the day.

          Jonouchi could feel it. He was surprised to find himself standing in Yugi's dark bedroom once more, Yugi sprawled out on his bed. As Jonouchi looked down at Yugi, he had the strange sensation that something terrible would happen.

          "I don't get it," he muttered. He looked around the empty room, as if the answer would come to him without meaning. "Amane, what's going on? Amane? Where are you?"

          "You can sense it as well, Jonouchi," Amane's voice reached his ears. He spun around to face her, her fragile features pulled into sadness.

          "Oh, Amane... What's going to happen?"

          "They're preparing a place for him in the afterlife," Amane said softly. Jonouchi stared at her. "He will not be able to get to heaven for many years."

          "Amane... What are you saying?" Jonouchi asked, afraid of the answer. "Are you saying..."

          "Mutou Yugi, age eighteen," Amane recited, as if she had memorized this. "Will die at approximately four twenty-five p.m., this afternoon." Jonouchi's jaw dropped. Amane continued to stare straight ahead, her eyes empty.

          Suddenly, before Jonouchi could react, she reeled backwards as if struck, then turned to Jonouchi.

          "Oh," she said slowly, looking at her hands. She looked down at Yugi's sleeping figure. He was spread out on his bed, one arm hanging off his bed, facing the far wall where Jonouchi was standing. His chest rose and fell slowly, in a natural pattern that all bodies perform. 

          "Amane," he said slowly, "How do you know Yugi will die?" Amane shrugged.

          "In the afterlife, which is what you and I are part of," she explained, "if we are sure that someone will die, we prepare a place for them there. Usually we monitor potential people who might turn into ghosts like you and I for one reason or another. Yugi, because he would be the victim of a deadly scam involving his mother." She closed her eyes and folded her arms across her abdomen, her hair falling in front of her face. Jonouchi stared at her.

          "He won't get to heaven any time soon," she said softly. "Hardly anyone ever gets to heaven right away anymore." Jonouchi shook his head.

          "No - Amane," he said, walking towards her. He placed his hand on her shoulder, forcing her to face him. "Can you tell me how he will die?" Amane's eyes closed, and a thin trail of blood slipped down her face. Jonouchi put a hand on her cheek, to see that, once again, blood dotted his finger tips, leaving marks on her pale cheeks. 

          "I can show you," she whispered after a time. She reached into her hair, pulling a long, white ribbon from it. Holding it before her, she took Jonouchi's bloody hand and wrapped it in the ribbon, so the ribbon was partially stained with his crimson blood. Jonouchi stared at her in awe.

          "Amane -" But then, she whipped it into the air, and it almost cut a _hole_ in _mid-air!_ The cut began to grow, and soon, the entire room had changed. It was dusk-ish, and they were in the Mutou's kitchen. Yugi was standing before the sink, a drawer open beside him. He was rummaging through it, apparently looking for something. Jonouchi stepped forward cautiously.

          "C'mon, I know it's here," Yugi was saying, pushing things around. He had tears in his eyes, the gash re-opened on his cheek, sniffling deeply. The clank of metal things and the rustle of papers could be heard from the drawer. Jonouchi watched, shivering slightly. He was too afraid to watch, yet too amazed to look away. He was trapped.

          "Aha," he said, pulling out a piece of paper. It had smeared writing all over it. He squinted at it, trying to read the kanji scribbled down.

          "Jon... L'ame," he muttered. "Two four five, three six seven something... Tonight, at six..." His shoulders dropped and his voice dwindled. He lowered his head and put the paper on the sink, reading the last word out loud.

          "...revolver..." he sighed and cast his eyes around the kitchen, searching for something. "Wow, she's... r-really stupid," Yugi muttered, his voice wavering. Jonouchi shook his head as the realization sank in. "L-leaving her plans r-right here... M-maybe she _w-w-wanted_ me to see them..." He looked down at the counter, his tears splashing, making little rivers of salty water. He sniffed and wiped his eyes, his shoulders heaving.

          He didn't run away. He would meet his fate head-on, even though he could easily tell someone and get out of it. He sat down at the table, hands folded in his lap, his eyes squinted and unfocused. Jonouchi took a step forward, trying to reach his friend.

          "No... No! No, Yugi! Tell someone!" He cried, but Yugi didn't hear. Amane looked away, covering her face with her hands. 

          "Amane," Jonouchi said, turning to her. "He can get out of this! Easy! Why doesn't he tell someone?"

          "It's not done yet, Jonouchi," she whispered, pointing. Jonouchi turned to see that Yugi had found a box that had been hidden in a cabinet. He was standing before the table, staring into the box, his hands settled on the table before him. Jonouchi waited anxiously to see what would happen. Amane turned to the clock.

          It was four twenty-one.

*****

          Jonouchi followed her gaze to the clock, his eyes widening. He looked back, and saw Yugi bring out the item in the box.

          It was a revolver. A small one, but powerful. It was black, sleek, shiny. It wasn't loaded, but the ammunition was right in the box with it.

          "What the..." Jonouchi muttered. "Why the hell does he have a revolver?"

          "It was his late fathers," Amane explained in a small voice. "He knew where it was hidden..." Yugi, still crying softly, picked up the ammunition, and set to loading the gun. He dropped a bullet in, turned it and listened to the click.

          _Four twenty-three__._

          Even though it was just some kind of vision, Jonouchi was still getting antsy with every second. He walked closer to Yugi, leaving Amane in the corner of the room. He placed his hands on the table and leaned forward, not noticing the blood that trickled to the table. Yugi looked at the gun, his finger hovering above the trigger. Squeezing his eyes shut, he lifted the gun, putting the barrel right against his temple. Yugi's hands were shaking so much that Jonouchi could physically see it.

          Amane lowered her head. She knew what would happen.

          _Four twenty-four._

          "No.... No! No, Yugi!" Jonouchi cried, running up to his friend. He reached out and proceeded to swipe at Yugi's hand, force him to drop the gun, but it didn't work.

          _Ten seconds...._

Amane slid down the wall, her skirt falling over her knees, burying her face in her skirt.

          ..._Nine seconds...._

          Yugi's hand was still clenched around the gun, his forefinger just above the trigger. Jonouchi fell forwards in his vague attempts to snatch the gun away.

          _...Six seconds..._

His time was running out. Jonouchi didn't know _what_ to do. He just stumbled back up, his eyes forever on the clock.

          _...Three seconds..._

          "No..." Jonouchi muttered. He threw himself at Yugi as a last-ditch effort to save him -

          _....Two... One..._

          The gun sounded. The sound was deafening, making Jonouchi stop in mid-jump. He nearly pitched himself forward, his eyes frozen on Yugi. 

          Blood trickled down Yugi's face. He dropped the revolver, which hit the floor with a clang. Yugi followed close behind it, landing on his side, his eyes half-open, lifeless. Jonouchi, who had fallen to his knees, crawled over to Yugi's lifeless body. A pool of blood was forming on the floor.

          Jonouchi couldn't think. He just let his tears fall, even though they passed right through Yugi's body. Amane was still staring at the floor, her shoulders bumping every few seconds with her small sniffles. Jonouchi, however, just bent forwards and laid his forehead on his friend's chest. He could feel the gasping last breaths Yugi took, and even could feel his heart beating. Jonouchi laid there, half on top of Yugi, crying, listening to his dying heartbeats. Jonouchi closed his eyes and tightened his grip on Yugi's arm, feeling his body grow still, his heart silent. Jonouchi knew that his brain might still be active, but since he shot himself _in_ the head, and no one would come in time, it wouldn't matter.

          _Four twenty-six__._

_._

_~I've learned the world is bigger then me. You're my daily dose of reality.-"Stand Here With Me"~_

_._

          A flash of light - a whizzing sound - 

          They were back in Yugi's room. Jonouchi was sitting on the floor, his knees propped up, staring ahead, beads of sweat rolling down his face. Amane was sitting next to him, avoiding his eyes.

          "...Holy shit..." Jonouchi whispered. "Amane, is that really gonna happen?" Amane didn't answer. Jonouchi looked up at Yugi's bed across the darkened room. Yugi was still sprawled out on the bed, fast asleep. Without thinking, Jonouchi jumped up and ran across the room, bending down next to the bed. He watched Yugi closely, and yes, he _was_ still breathing.

          Phew.

          Jonouchi sighed in relief. Amane followed close behind Jonouchi and stood behind him, placing her delicate hands on his shoulders.

          "He won't live for long," Amane said softly. She leaned her head against his back, eyes closed. Jonouchi slid to the floor, Amane following his motions. Yugi moaned, rolling onto his side, eyes still tightly closed. Jono watched his friend sleep, wondering how long it would be until his death. 

          A shiver of movement.

          A flicker of light.

          Someone was outside Yugi's door. The light under the door quickly moved on, however intriguing Jonouchi and Amane to sneak towards the door.

          "Open it," Amane hissed into his ear. Jonouchi shook his head. 

          "We can pass through it," he explained, nodding towards the door. Standing up, both of them leaned against the door, silently praying in their minds that the person would still be in the hall...

          They fell through. Jonouchi felt the pass through the wood, the rushing feeling as his body disintegrated and re-appeared within seconds. Amane appeared behind him. They stood in the hallway, the source of the light right in front of them.

          With her long hair pulled back, a robe thrown over her nightdress, Rachel stood outside the doorway, rummaging around with something. She pulled a pad of paper and a pen from a table drawer, situated in the hall. Looking from side to side, making sure no one was watching, she scribbled some kanji down, crossed it out, and scribbled some more. Finally, she was finished, and slid the folded note into her handbag. The one she took to work. It was right beneath the table. 

          Satisfied, she retreated back to her room, yawning and locking the door behind her. Amane and Jonouchi looked at each other in shock for about two seconds, then made a mad dash for the note. Jonouchi slid right through the oak table, then right through a wall to another room. Amane giggled, and reached inside the bag, pulling the paper out with her. She waited patiently, kneeling in the hallway, her white school uniform very out-of-place in the dark, mysterious hall. She shivered.

          _This is creepy,_ she thought. _It would be even creepier if I was still alive._ Jonouchi eventually pulled himself out of the wall, stiffling his laughs.

          "That," he said, a big smile on his joyous face, "was fun. Let me tell ya... Didya get it?" he asked, nodding towards the note. Amane nodded. Jonouchi crawled over to where she sat, sitting beside her. He placed his hand over her smaller one, gently touching her fingers.

          "You ready?"

          "...Yes." Together, they opened the note, and leaned forward, reading it. Jonouchi's eyes widened in shock, and Amane gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. They looked at each other, then down at the paper, then at Yugi's door.

          It was a suicide note.

          From Yugi to his mother, supposedly.

*****

Jonouchi read the note over and over again in his mind. He had stared at it for so long, he figured he had memorized it. Amane copied it, then gently lowered the original into Rachel's bag.

          It was hours later. Yugi was at school, Rachel at work. Neither of them suspecting what awaited them when they got home...

          It was about three sixteen. PM.

          "Good God," Jonouchi muttered. He was furious. He had taken his rage out on himself, yelling at the top of his lungs to retreating to a corner, letting all his emotions go. Amane just watched this escapade, waiting until it had ended. Amane looked down at her copy of the note, reading it out loud again, for the millionth time.

          " _'Sorry__, Mom, that I couldn't be there for you in the end. I'm a failure and an idiot, and I don't deserve life. So I'm taking it. This way, you can live alone, and you don't have to worry about me. Where I'm going, you don't have to watch over me. Bye. I love you._

_          Yugi' ."_

          "Bitch," Jonouchi muttered. "Making her kill look like suicide.... And there's not a damn thing I can do about it." He dropped his head to the table, sighing deeply. He looked up at Amane, shrugging. "Well, we'll just have to wait, I suppose..." They were silent for a moment, worries lingering on Jonouchi's mind.

          "Jonouchi?" Amane asked in a small voice.

          "Yeah?"

          "I don't want my vision to..." Amane didn't finish. She shivered. Jonouchi lowered his eyes to his hands.

          "I know, Amane..." He looked at the clock, then at the door to the kitchen.

          "Shouldn't he be back now?" Jonouchi wondered aloud. He had just said that when the bell in the Game Shop jangled, scaring both of them. Amane sighed deeply, opening her soft eyes to where Yugi entered the kitchen. Yugi's face was blank, his movements heavy, dropping his bag like a weight. He slid into a chair next to the table and put his head in his hands, massaging his temples with his palms.

          "Wonder what happened," Amane murmured.

          "What do you mean?" Jonouchi asked. Amane nodded towards Yugi's motions. 

          "Most people only do that if they're stressed," she explained. Jonouchi raised his eyebrows. "You notice things about habits when you've been around as long as I have." They watched Yugi for a moment, wondering what was wrong. He was staring at the table, his head in his hands, breathing loudly. He looked at the clock, then put his arms down on the table. He blinked once, then lowered his head to the table as if he were going to sleep. Amane walked slowly around the table, standing beside him, her hands on the back of a chair. She tightened her grip, her eyes still on Yugi. He didn't notice her ghostly presence.

          It was three thirty. PM.

          Yugi had an hour and fifteen minutes until his timely suicide. Jonouchi wandered over to where Yugi was sitting, watching his friend. Yugi lifted his head a bit, his eyes traveling around. He could sense Jonouchi, although Jonouchi wasn't too sure. Yugi stood, stretching his shoulders. He walked over to the sink, turning on the faucet. He put his hands under the cool water, then unzipped his school jacket. Jonouchi gasped, and Amane watched, knowing what was coming next...

          Yugi's white, crisp school shirt was stained with dark, crimson blood. Where his shoulder was. He touched it tenderly, wincing. He splashed water onto his arm, the blood and water mixing and mingling. Jonouchi bit his lower lip and shook his head.

          "Honda," he said, punching his own hand. "If he did this again..." Amane lowered her head and didn't say anything. She didn't want him to know who had really done it. Yugi unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off, revealing a wound in the same place his first one had been. But Yugi didn't seem surprised at all to find it. He splashed more water onto it, and gently rubbed it with a towel. Jonouchi walked over, watching his friend tend to his wound. Jonouchi also noticed a thin red line on his cheek... Jonouchi's eyes widened. He hadn't noticed before, but on Yugi's forearm, he had many little red lines. Cuts. Thin ones. They were hardly visible, but cuts nonetheless. 

          Jonouchi's jaw dropped.

          "Holy..." he whispered. He shook his head, his arms shaking. "No, Yugi, what..." Amane was standing to the side of the room, sighing and holding her head in her hands. Yugi dropped the towel into the sink, and examined the cuts all down his forearm. Some short, some long, all shallow, thankfully. They reached his elbow, then stopped. Yugi tapped them gently, running his fingers over them. Jonouchi stared in horror.

          Yugi had _cut_ himself.

          Yugi.

          In Jonouchi's mind, it didn't make sense. Yugi, retracting his arm and stretching his shoulders, pulled his school jacket back on, leaving his shirt off. He turned around, leaning against the sink, the sun bearing on his back. He stared at the ceiling, revealing a cut on his collar bone. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply, opening his eyes again. Jonouchi stumbled backwards to wear Amane was standing.

          "How...?" Jonouchi was all he was able to muster. Amane nodded.

          "How do you think?" she asked in a soft voice. "He cut himself. He cut his chest as well. And he must have gotten the other wound by somehow opening the old one." Jonouchi shook his head, body trembling.

          "No, not Yugi... Yugi's not like that!" Jonouchi cried. Amane crossed her arms.

          "How do you know?" she asked in her soft manner. Jonouchi turned to her. "How do you know that Yugi hasn't hurt himself before? You've never been here when he was alone, have you? You didn't know what he was going through, did you?" Jonouchi bit his lower lip and lowered his head.

          "...No..."

          The clock turned. 

          Three fifty-two.

*****

          It was almost time. In just a few minutes, Yugi would pick up that gun and take his own life, leaving his body for his mother to find. At least the suicide note would be valid. Jonouchi was staring at Amane, watching her facial expressions. She looked so sad... 

          A squeaking sound could be heard. Jonouchi turned over to Yugi as he opened a kitchen drawer. He gasped.

          It was the drawer the note was in. The one Yugi was reading his mother's plan from in the vision.

          Yugi rummaged around inside, pushing things aside and looking things over, trying to find something. His breath caught in his throat as he pulled what looked like a framed photo from inside the drawer. He held it up, looking at it closely. He drew his fingers over it, dusting it off. Jonouchi could faintly make out Yugi's form in the photo... He saw Anzu, then Honda, then...

          Himself. The four of them, standing in front of what looked like Domino High. They had their arms around each other, smiling boldly. It was spring, he could tell by their clothing. The photo was long, since there were more people in it...

          Otogi was arm-in-arm with Honda. Shizuka. Ryou. All of them, standing there, laughing almost, brightly smiling, the breeze picking up their clothes... They were all wearing Duel Disks, all of them a card in their hands. Jonouchi struggled to remember when this was... His eyes widened.

          They weren't in front of Domino High.

          They were on the large cruise ship they had taken down the Nile. Malik was also in the picture, although sort of to the side. Jonouchi had to walk over and stand behind Yugi to see it. He could see it clearly now, the large, white ship that Isis had gotten for them... It was after the duel with the Pharaoh, he could tell. Mai hadn't shown up yet... He gasped, his arms shook, his lower lip quivered.

          Shizuka was in the picture. She was kneeling before Jonouchi, smiling, holding her arms up. She had a mitsukai in her hand, the long, white petals flowering over her elegant hands... She looked so happy. Jonouchi closed his eyes and bowed his head painfully.

          Yugi held the picture against his chest, his heart. He carefully placed it onto the counter, and rummaged through the drawer once more. It pained Jonouchi to watch. 

          Amane was on the other side of the room, leaning against the wall, crying. Tears silently slipping down her cheeks, making shimmering trails of diamonds falling off her face... Jonouchi glanced at the clock.

          Four-fifteen.

          "What?!" Jonouchi cried, turning to Amane. "How did that happen so fast? What - How - ?!" Amane just shook her head and closed her eyes, sliding to the floor.

          She didn't want to witness the same death once more.

          Jonouchi turned back to Yugi. Tears had started in Yugi's eyes, his breath becoming choked. He sniffed heavily, trying to contain his tears. He pushed things around, his shoulders heaving. He bit his lower lip in a vague attempt to keep himself from crying. Jonouchi just stared at him, watching him intently for a few moments. He watched his every move, making sure that Yugi wasn't attempting to kill himself...

          It was four twenty. Suddenly, Yugi's expression changed as he slowly remembered something.... He cast his eyes back to the drawer, tears still in his eyes...

          Jonouchi gasped.

          _Yugi had the same look on his face as when the vision started. _The vision they had seen of Yugi's suicide...

          "C'mon, I know it's here," Yugi said, pushing things around. Jonouchi felt as if he had died again.

          _The vision was happening._

_          Now._

*****

"Oh, shit," Jonouchi whispered. Amane buried her face in her skirt as she slid to the floor, her knees propped up, crying heavily. It was becoming just like the vision. The loud clank of metal and the rustle of papers... Soon he would come across the note.

          "Aha," he said, pulling out a piece of paper. Jonouchi was closer this time. He could see the smeared kanji, and could actually make out some of it.

          "Jon... L'ame," he muttered. "Two four five, three six seven something... Tonight, at six..." Yugi's voice died in his throat. His shoulders drooped.

          "No," Jonouchi said, barely above a whisper.

          "...revolver..." Yugi looked around the kitchen, just like before. "Wow, she's... r-really stupid," he muttered, his voice wavering. "L-leaving her plans r-right here... M-maybe she _w-w-wanted_ me to see them..." He looked down at the counter, continuing his tears. The small rivers appeared once more.

          Yugi sat down at the table, hands folded in his lap, his eyes squinted and unfocused. Jonouchi turned around and leaned on the table, looking into Yugi's face.

          "Yugi - !" he sputtered, but got no reaction. Jonouchi looked over at Amane, hearing the squeak of the chair as Yugi pushed back and stood up. Amane didn't meet his gaze; she was staring at a yellowed piece of paper, almost parchment, her eyes watering, shaking her head. Jonouchi looked back at Yugi, to see that he had found the box that held the revolver. He was standing before the table, staring into the box, his hands settled on the table before him. 

          _Four twenty-one__._

          Yugi, still crying softly, picked up the ammunition, and set to loading the gun. He dropped a bullet in, turned it and listened to the click.

          _Four twenty-three__._

          Time seemed to speed up as Jonouchi watched. He was standing right next to Yugi, so close he could reach out a tug the gun away... Yugi looked at the gun, his finger hovering above the trigger. Squeezing his eyes shut, he lifted the gun, putting the barrel right against his temple. Yugi's hands were shaking so much that Jonouchi could physically see it. His eyes widened.

          _He was going to do it._

          Amane lowered her head. 

          _Four twenty-four__._

          "YUGI!" Jonouchi cried. This time it wasn't a vision. This was for real. Real life. And if he let Yugi  through with this... He would seriously regret it.

          _Ten seconds...._

Jonouchi reached out, his fingers inches from the gun - 

          ..._Nine seconds...._

          Yugi's hand was still clenched around the gun, his forefinger just above the trigger. Jonouchi's hand brushed the barrel, he could feel the cold metal against his fingertips - 

          _...Six seconds..._

His time was running out. Jonouchi leaned forward, the table pushing into his stomach, his body somehow opaque - his hand fell onto the gun - 

          _...Three seconds..._

          "YUUUUUUGGGGIIIIII!!!!"

          _....Two... One..._

          BANG.

          The gun went off.

*************************************

AHAHA! I AM THE EVIL ONE OF CLIFFHANGERS!!! AHAHAHAA! BOW TO ME NOW, MORTALS!! AHAHAHA!!! anyway...

Im sorry, it was just so TEMPTING! I HAD TO!!! do not fear, i shall update soon! before i do ANYTHING else, this story is going to be finished and OFF my mind forever! yayayaya! oh, anyway...

_***********************************_

_Chapter Preview~_

_The gun went off... But did Yugi die? Did Jonouchi hit the gun out of the way? What will happen? Is Yugi delusional before death? Or... does he finally defeat his mother once and for all...?_

_Chapter Nine: Glimpse of Heaven_

**_Update: next weekend!_**

_*************************************_

**Tata****~**

**Shibby****-One**


	10. Chapter Nine: Glimpse of Heaven

Ahaha! this is chapter NINE! Woohoo! the ending to the story! actually, there's one more short chappy after this...  
Joey: she's hyper. Or something.  
Well, it's what you wanted! Tata~

**.**

**_Chapter Nine: Glimpse of Heaven_**

**_._**

**_._**

          Jonouchi stood there, leaning over, his hands on Yugi's arm, staring at the wall.

          There was a now a hole in the kitchen wall.

          The revolver lay on the floor where Jonouchi hit it, Yugi unharmed - but surprised and terrified. Amane peeped up at them, her eyes widening, her jaw dropping. Yugi was _alive._

          "Oh my...." she whispered, unable to finish her sentence. Jonouchi and Yugi both stayed in the same position for what seemed an eternity, staring at the gun. Jonouchi recovered first, however, and kicked at the gun.

          It connected with his foot, skidding across the floor. It hit the wall with a _thud,_ laying harmless on the tile.

          Yugi recovered next. He hit his knees and fell to the floor, staring at the gun with wide eyes. He was perfectly fine, perfectly _alive._ He stared at the gun for a few more moments, breathing as if he had run a marathon. Jonouchi glanced down at him, then turned to the gun. It still lay there. He in turn stared down at his hands, wondering how the hell he - 

          _If you feel a strong enough emotion, you can have physical contact with a person or thing._

He had felt terror. Fear. Pain.

          All very strong emotions.

          Amane stood up slowly, staring at Jonouchi. Yugi was still kneeling on the floor, his face white, when - 

          He collapsed into a faint. He hit the floor with a _thud,_ making Jonouchi jump. Not sure what to do, Jonouchi looked around, then reached out and tapped Yugi's shoulder. He tipped the boy onto his side, his breathing slow and paced. Amane made her way across the room, her eyes locked on the gun. The steel barrel and the flickering, dying light etching off of it made it look more foreboding then before. She shivered and squatted down beside Yugi's head, carefully moving it to her lap.

          "Yugi-kun," she whispered, gently brushing the hair off of his forehead. Yugi moaned a little, then opened his eyes. They settled gently on Jonouchi, widening slightly.

          "Jou.... Jou-kun," he whispered, attempting to push away from him. He stopped moving as he hit Amane's lap, turning around and seeing her. Yugi cast his eyes on the revolver, then back at Jonouchi, who was kneeling before him. "How -- ?"

          "Yugi," Jonouchi started, "I...."

          "Jounouchi," he whispered, staring at him. He shook his head, a smile spreading over his face. "You're.... You're here. Wait..." he looked around, then averted his eyes to Jonouchi. "Am I dead?"

          "Thank God no," Jonouchi said, reaching out to Yugi. He attempted to place his hand on Yugi's shoulder, but felt the transition as he fell through the boy's shoulder. Jonouchi then pulled his hand back, staring at the floor. 

          "What...?" Yugi shook his head, still confused. Amane was making motions to Jonouchi. She 

was trying to mouth something to him...

          'He thinks he's dreaming,' Amane mouthed, pointing to Yugi. Jonouchi scrunched up his face in confusion, wondering what she was saying. A sudden understanding washed over his body as he realized what she was saying.

          Yugi thought he was dreaming.

          "Yugi," Jonouchi started, "There was no way I was going to watch you die again."

          "...Again.....?" Yugi asked, shaking. "What do you mean, Jou-kun?" Jonouchi sighed.

          "I've seen you die once, and I'm not doing it again," he explained slowly. "It's... hard to explain, but it's the damn truth and I'm not letting you die." Yugi looked at the floor.

          "She would have killed me anyway...." he muttered. Jonouchi rolled his eyes.

          "You have _evidence,_ Yugi. Things written in her handwriting! First hand accounts! More can be investigated!"

          "It's not enough," Yugi whispered, tears welling in his eyes. "It's not enough..." His tears seemed endless as they started. Yugi covered his face with his hands, tears falling through his fingertips, shaking terribly, proving he had given up hope. Jonouchi bowed his head in shame.

          "...Try it for me, if not for yourself," he whispered. Yugi brought his head up a bit and sniffed. "...Please...? I'll never get to heaven if you don't...." Yugi sniffed, then laid back into Amane's comforting arms. She gasped, surprised and confused. Yugi moaned, then trembled a bit, tears rolling down his face.

          "...Itai..." he whispered. It was barely audible. Jonouchi leaned forwards, gripping Yugi's shoulders.

          "Yugi! Yugi, what happened?" he cried, shaking his head. Amane looked down at Yugi's arms, noticing a blood trail.

          One of his cuts had re-opened.

          "Oh my fucking God," Amane whispered, gripping his wrist. It was right below the vein that was bleeding. The blood trailed down his arm, and a pool of it had formed on the floor.

          _How long had he been bleeding? How did they not notice it?_

Amane looked around frantically. She couldn't figure out _how_ they didn't notice it before. It made no sense. She looked down, then at Jonouchi. She reeled back as she saw the look of horror on Jonouchi's face as he stared at the floor. Amane's eyes traveled to where he was looking, her eyes widening in horror as well.

          A switch blade was on the floor, the knife open, dark, thick blood staining the edge.

          _Yugi had cut himself once more..._

          "I don't get it," Jonouchi muttered. "When -- How -- When did he do _that?!_" Amane nodded in slow understanding as the scene she had seen so many times re-played in her mind.

          "....When we turned away, and he pulled something out of the drawer...." she muttered. Yugi was breathing loudly, his shoulders heaving. He seemed to have lost a lot of blood from such a small cut. Jonouchi looked back at his wrist, wondering why he had lost so much.... He lifted Yugi's wrist, the hand flopping back. Jonouchi stared for a moment, then lowered it beside Yugi's body. 

          He had cut himself there the most. It was very, very deep...

          "...The reason he got the gun was because of the paper _and_ his failed attempt," Amane said, looking up.

          "What?"

          "Yugi attempted to slit his vein and die," she said, making Jonouchi shiver at the thought. She looked down at him. "...But he found the note and his suspicions came true.... And he got the revolver and attempted to kill himself _again...."_ Jonouchi shook his head.

          "Why didn't we notice?"

          "Because he did it while we were turned away," she explained. "In the vision... And since we didn't notice it there, we didn't notice it in real life, either." Jonouchi shook his head slowly, his shoulders shaking.

          "...So he's going to die...?" Amane nodded, lowering her head. She was kicking herself in her mind for not noticing. 

          _I mean, I know he has a hunch,_ she thought, _but just one piece of paper isn't a good reason to _

_kill__ yourself..._

          Wait.

          Jonouchi lifted his head, still crying, but smiling.

          "Amane," he said, gripping her hand, "his mother knows about the cuts."

          "...And...?" Amane asked, her lower lip quivering. 

          "She didn't do anything about it.... And that's against the law. It's a form of child abuse!" he said, biting his lower lip. "Neglect! If Yugi testifies that she did, in fact, know about his cutting, he could be taken from her care and instead go to another home!" Amane smiled, then her smile faded, her hair falling over her shoulder. She looked down at Yugi's still body. The only way you could tell he was alive was from his short breaths...

          "...Stress.... Depression... Cutting... All factors in his death...." Jonouchi shook his head.

          "No, Yugi isn't going to die! I refuse to allow him to die!" And with that, Jonouchi jumped up, and ran to the phone. Amane carefully picked up the switchblade, glad for once she couldn't leave fingerprints, and placed it on the counter for evidence. Jonouchi, meanwhile, was talking to an operator, telling them to get an ambulance down to the Kame Game Shop.

          .....But they might not make it.... 

*****

          Yugi opened his eyes slowly, the scene swimming before him. He could vaguely remember hearing faint sirens, seeing someone pick him up, his body being lifted. Cool rain hit his body, people's worried voices... He seemed to fade in and out, in and out, as if watching this on a blurry, faded television. He remembered seeing a man before him, running, looking down at him and saying "It'll be okay, it'll be okay...."

          He remembered the loud siren, a fast moving vehicle, and feeling a cool hand clamped in his...

          He remembered opening his eyes and seeing Jonouchi beside him, smiling while crying, a kind look in his eyes...

          Then everything went dark.

          It was hours later when Yugi woke up to see the high ceiling before him, a soft beeping in his ears. He was lying in a soft, comfortable bed, the blanket pulled to his chest. His right arm was bandaged all the way to his elbow, with an IV tube leading into his wrist. He stared at it momentarily, waiting until his eyesight adjusted. He turned his head and saw a window with the curtain drawn. 

          He then realized that there was a mask over his mouth and nose, letting him breathe cool, fresh air. He closed his eyes once more and listened to the soft beep of the EKG above his bed. He opened his eyes and they fell on the doorway, the door slightly ajar. People were moving around outside, voices drifting in, phones ringing, people running and yelling down the hall.

          Loud footsteps could be heard coming towards his door. Interested to see how they would react, he closed his eyes, pretending to be unconscious.

          Rietta pushed the door a bit, peering inside. Her eyes fell on Yugi, who she thought to be unconscious. He lay very still, breathing slowly, as if asleep. She walked over, her socks making soft padded sounds on the floor. She checked the machines briefly, then looked down at his arm. All his cuttings had been bandaged all the way to his elbow...

          "Please, Yugi," she whispered, leaning forwards, "Wake up. You have to testify. Without you...." she closed her eyes, her shoulders shook, "...my sister might not get the repercussion she deserves.... She might not lose you." She touched his arm softly, Yugi listening intently.

          _This woman is my mother's sister....? _He thought. _Then that means she's my aunt..._

_          ....Testify?!_

Yugi's eyes opened. Rietta jumped, surprised. He looked at her, smiling.

          "....Yugi...." she whispered, shaking her head and smiling. "You're awake..."

          "What do you mean, testify?" Yugi asked hoarsely. Rietta was taken aback.

          "You were listening?" she said, sighing. "Well, I guess I was rather loud..."

          "Actually, I was conscious," Yugi explained, shifting his position. "But, what do you mean, testify?"

          "Did my sis-- Your mother," she said, correcting herself, "know about what you were doing to your arm?"

          "I think so," Yugi said softly. "I mean, she's seen it plenty of times. Once she grabbed my arm, turned it and stared at it for a good five minutes." He closed his eyes momentarily. He felt so tired... The air he was receiving through the mask made him feel drowsy...

          "...Oh," Rietta said, looking back down at his arm. "Because that's a form of child abuse."

          "It is?" Yugi said, turning to her. "Really?"

          "Yes," she explained, smiling. "It's called neglect. She didn't do anything about your cutting, and with your word, she can be arrested." Yugi's face fell.

          "What will happen?" he asked slowly. Rietta shrugged.

          "If she's convicted, you'll be taken away, to a better home," she explained slowly. She stared down at Yugi's face, as if recording it in her mind. "....You look like him so much...."

          "Who?" Yugi asked, curious.

          "...And Rachel.... You have the same manner she once possessed," Rietta said, ignoring Yugi. 

          "Who do I look like?" Yugi asked again.

          "Jonah."

          Yugi faltered. 

          _Jonah was his father's name._

"...My.... my father?" she asked slowly. Reitta nodded. 

          "I remember him well, Yugi. He was a very, er, colorful person..." she laughed at herself. Yugi smiled softly.

          "And you're..."

          "Your mother's younger sister, Rietta Kyuuei," she explained, smiling at Yugi's reaction to his own mother's maiden name. "I haven't seen you since...." she looked away. Yugi blinked, confused.

          "Since.... when.....?" he asked slowly. He was feeling so sleepy...

          "Since your father's death," she explained in a small voice. "When you were only two." Yugi relaxed his shoulders. "And, according to what they said, if anything happened to them... I would take over as your guardian..." Yugi nodded, smiling, slowly falling back into a deep sleep. The gases in the air he was being given were to sedate him, so he wouldn't have any emotional breakdowns. 

          Rietta stayed beside him until she was sure he was asleep, then left the room, closing the door behind her.

          She turned and saw Jonouchi standing before her.

.

_To love is to receive a glimpse of heaven.~ Karen Sunde_

_._

Rietta gasped, surprised to see someone right behind her.

          She didn't recognize him as the boy she found in the Jonouchi's apartment almost a month before.

          "Oh," she said, smiling. "Hello. Are you here to see Yugi?" Jonouchi looked confused, his face contorting into one of confusion.

          "You... Never mind," he said, waving his hand. Amane ran up beside him, staring up at Rietta.

          "How's Yugi?" she quipped, her hands folded. Rietta smiled.

          "He just woke up," she explained. "I told him what's happening."

          "....His mother was convicted, right?" Jonouchi said slowly. Rietta shrugged.

          "She was taken away, just because of Yugi's suicide attempts, and illegal gun possession," she explained. "But, according to Yugi, she knew about the cutting."

          "Neglect," Jonouchi said, shaking his head. Rietta squinted at Jonouchi, making a reassuring sound.

          "You're... Are you the boy who called the police?" she asked slowly. "The one who told them that he was abuse?"

          "Yes, I'm a friend," he said, shrugging. Amane nodded.

          "Well, you may go see him, although he just fell asleep," she said to them. Jonouchi shook his head.

          "No, we just wanted to know..." Jonouchi and Amane waved to Rietta and disappeared. Right before her eyes.

          She blinked and stared ahead of her, slowly turning around to see if they were behind her.

          They weren't.

          "What the...." she murmured. She turned back to the front, completely dumbstruck on how they just disappeared. "They.... But.... How....?" She crossed her arms in front of her in frustration. She stood there, deep in thought, and began walking down the hallway. She was trying to remember where she had seen Jonouchi before...

          She stopped and gasped.

          _That was Jonouchi Katsuya!_ She spun around again, surprising a passing doctor. She couldn't believe it. She shook her head, a smile playing on her face.   

          "I'm losing it," she surmised, walking forwards. "Jonouchi Katsuya... and Bakura Amane! Right in front of me! Two victims of abuse! And they said they were friends of Yugi.... A third!" She threw her hands into the air.

          "I think I need to lie down...."

*****

Jonouchi was staring out at the sea, standing on the docks at the ports. With his hands in his pockets, he allowed the breeze to blow through his transparent body, didn't mind that no one could see him...

          He was dead.

          No one could change that.

          "...You ready....?" Amane asked slowly, standing beside him. He didn't answer. He was staring out at the sea, trying to take it all in before he left.

          "...You're sure Yugi's going to be okay?" he asked, turning to her. "And the others?"

          "Yes," Amane said, nodding to him. "They will all be alright. No matter what," she said, giggling. She opened her eyes to see Jonouchi had turned to the ocean, tears running down his face. "Eh? Jonouchi?"

          "I miss them," he whispered. He bowed his head in frustration. "I love them so much..." Amane placed her hand on Jonouchi's shoulder.

          "I think they'll be happy," she said softly to him, "That they have an angel watching them." With that, the two were whisked away in a flash of light, a blow of wind.

          They were returning to the cemetery...

**_~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~_**

this made me cry so hard... i really thought about what would happen if one of my friend's died, and I cried for what seemed like hours. typing this helped me relieve the pain of what is happening now in my life. I hope it doesnt come to this.

Dont go, there's another chap after this one. Jou and Amane actually get to heaven...

**_~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~_**

_Next chap~~_

_Jonouchi and Amane return to the cemetery, ready to leave. They go over some things, Jonouchi realizing the real reason he stayed for so long. And... on the way to heaven..._

_...They make one last goodbye...._

_Chapter Ten: the Angel in the Cemetery_

**_~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~_**__

**Shibby****-One**

**;_;**


	11. Chapter Ten: The Angel in the Cemetery

soooo.... this is the last chap... *sigh* this was.. difficult to write.

Yugi: i hope Joey gets to heaven

Shibby: we'll find out...

**_Chapter Ten: The Angel in the Cemetery_**

****

          Jonouchi opened his eyes.

          He was back in the cemetery. Staring ahead, his eyes slowly focused on the stones around him, the dappling sunlight through the thick trees. He turned around slowly to once again see his name written in stone, with a little saying beneath it. He gently traced his fingers over the inscription, feeling the kanji in the set stone. It read _Things aren't always what they seem. It's the same with people._ Jonouchi wondered where this had come from...

          His friends. His family. The people he loved. He had attempted, and somewhat succeeded. He didn't want them to be unhappy, but he didn't want them to be dead, either. He had tried; he had both succeeded and failed. The burden on his soul - the one he placed there - would be lifted.

          Finally.

          Jonouchi laid out on his back, closing his eyes. He couldn't feel the breeze blowing his clothes or brushing against his face; he couldn't feel the sun warming his body. He was dead, and he finally accepted this fact.

          The sting of the gun barrel connecting with his foot; the touch of the school uniform in his fingers; the feel of flesh and bone connecting with his palms as he pushed her out of the way... Three things... Shizuka's tears on his hands... The blood...

          They were the last things he felt.

          "Jonouchi," a voice called. A strong voice, a powerful voice, one full of confidence and apprehension. Jonouchi sat up, smiling as he saw her.

          Amane was next to the tree he had met her by, leaning against it, her hair falling over her shoulder. Her pale, white uniform had grown color; her skirt had become a pastel blue, her top blue and white, with a soft pink. Jonouchi recognized that school uniform as the one in the Tokyo school system. 

          She stood straight, smiling brightly, and walked forwards, her hands folded before her. She stopped walking when she reached Jonouchi, squatting down so she was level with him. Jonouchi was taken aback at the life and the color dancing in her features, the way her eyes sparkled with invisible light. Jonouchi gaped in awe.

          "Whoa... Amane," he muttered, immediately blushing. _Stupid hormones,_ he thought, smirking. Amane smiled brightly and stood up. The sun was pushing through the trees, shining down on them. She reached out to him, extending her hand.

          "Come," she said, her voice full of laughter. "I want you to come with me." It wasn't until then that Jonouchi noticed the stars. At least, he thought they were stars. Little white, glowing specs, were glinting around them. They seemed to dodge and tease Jonouchi and Amane, as if taunting the two to catch them.

          "What the..." Jonouchi muttered, his eyes traveling around. Amane closed her eyes, smiling, and pulled him back. The sun seemed to catch them in the middle.

          "Yugi's crisis has ended," she said softly. "As did mine own. Meaning we can leave now." Jonouchi raised his eyebrows.

          "Wait, wait a minute," he said, stepping back. He held up his arms in front of him, as if signaling defeat. "What do you mean? My other friends aren't better yet..." Amane chuckled.

          "Your only duty was Yugi," she explained. "You wanted to see your other friends, so you watched them. However, you would only be down here until Yugi's crisis ends." Jonouchi nodded slowly.

          "Not... Not even Shizuka?" he asked. Amane sighed.

          "We knew her death was coming," she said softly. "I'm sorry, but with your death, hers was predicted right away." Jonouchi closed his eyes painfully, his arms trembling.

          "So," he said in a thick voice, "my sister's death was inevitable?"

          "Not necessarily," Amane warned. "Just... Known." A tear fell from his eye, but he opened them, staring right at Amane. Jonouchi stepped up to her, sizing her up. A strange aura emitted from around her, as if she had been bathed in light. "Are you ready, Jonouchi?" she asked. Jonouchi sighed heavily.

          "I guess so," he said, smiling. "I mean, my other friends..."

          "You can watch them from Heaven," Amane explained. "Just not right away." Jonouchi bit his lower lip, then agreed.

          "Alright... " He took two steps, then stopped. "No one else's death has been chosen yet, right?" Amane laughed and shook her head.

          "I assure you, no one else's," she said. With that, Jonouchi took both of her outstretched hands, her arms pulling him in. They both laughed as he rammed into her. Jonouchi was smiling, tightening his grip on her, when a strange, warm breeze blew at them. They were still in the cemetery, and Jonouchi noticed the beautiful angel statue...

          Wait a second.

          Jonouchi looked from the statue to Amane, then back at the beautiful angel girl, kneeling before God, set in stone.

          "Holy - Amane," he muttered. "That girl - you and her look alike!" Amane cast her eyes up at the statue, then turned back to Jonouchi.

          "Go figure," she said, smiling. Jonouchi stared at her open-mouthed, the breeze picking up.

          "But - but - how?" Amane just laughed, pulling Jonouchi into a hug, warm, subtle rays of sunlight bursting over their bodies. With one sweep of wind and what seemed like golden feathers, and a hint of laughter, the entire cemetery was empty. The only sound was the laughter of two people. Laughter of joy.

**.**

_~In essence, we're all angels ourselves.~_

**.**__

Yugi lay in a warm, comfortable bed, sound asleep with no fear of being choked in his sleep. He was sleeping in peace for the first time in what seemed like years. Although his sleep unnatural, it was still peaceful. The blankets pulled up to his chest, his head turned to the side, the soft pillow cushioning him. The sun dappled into his hospital room through the curtains, warm, summer air coming from the window. He moaned a little, turning his head to the opposite side, continuing to sleep.

          A ray of light appeared in his room, shining over the floor. It was followed by many others. Soon, soft sunlight etched over the room, raising the temperature a bit. Yugi's breathing slowed, and his lips curved into a smile unconsciously. The rays were welcoming and forgiving.

          A figure appeared, walking over to the bed. A tall body knelt down next to the bed, it's torso leaning on the edge of the comforter. A large hand settled on his shoulder, shaking him gently.

          "Yugi. Yugi," a voice said. Yugi's eyes opened slowly, making little moaning sounds. He cast his crimson eyes up to the person beside him. The medicine Yugi was given to subdue him was taking effect, making him feel drowsy. He blinked and smiled.

          "Hi, Yugi," the person said, pushing his blonde bangs off his forehead. Yugi just watched the person.

          "Jonouchi," he whispered. Jonouchi shushed his friend. Jonouchi's body wasn't bone-white and bleeding; he was transparent, although he looked alive. He had color in his cheeks, the golden sunlight hitting his back, wearing a white t-shirt and jeans. He folded his arms and narrowed his eyes at Yugi.

          "Did you make it?" Yugi asked. He figured this was a dream of some sorts, not real life. Jonouchi nodded.

          "I'm going to, but I begged Amane to let me take a pit stop first," he said in a humorous tone. Yugi smiled softly, his eyelids drooping. "Go back to sleep."

          "Will I see you again?" Yugi asked. Jonouchi shrugged.

          "Hopefully not for a long time," he said in a soft voice. Yugi's face turned confused.

          "Why?" he asked.

          "Because I don't want to see you dead for a long, long time, Yugi. In fact, if I never see you in Heaven, it's fine with me."

          "But... I'll miss you," Yugi protested. Jonouchi shrugged.

          "Then I'll wait for the day you join me," he said, and disappeared, leaving Yugi with only his dreams.

**_~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~_**

Aww… its all over ;-;… Well, I hope y'all enjoyed this ficcy! *dances* I have 'Concrete Angel' stuck in my head… *sings*

_"…A fragile soul caught in the hands of fate… When mornin' comes, it'll be too late… Through the wind, and the rain, she stands haaaaard as a stone… In a world, that she can't rise above… But her dreams, give her wings, and she fliiiiies to a place where she's loved… Concrete Angel…" _For all those wanting to hear the song/want to get it, it has a single… Oh, God, not this song… I'm gonna cry…

_"Hoooold on, if you feel like letting go… Hold on, it get's better then you know… Don't stop looking, you're one step closer… Don't stop searching – It's not over – Hold… On…"_

I wish my crisis could end so easily…;-;  
Yami: Oh, Shibby… You've got great friends online and wonderful ones offline! You're not the only one watching, you know.  
Shibby: I know… But… I feel really helpless. I know what I can do, I just don't know _how_ to do it.

Yugi: *sigh* Everyone, if you're curious, read her poem "Nothing I can Do", either in her blurty or on fictionpress.com.   
Shibby:…

Tata, and remember – 

Someone loves you. Don't throw that away.

**Shibby****-One**


End file.
